FERC approves Port Arthur LNG Phase 2, other natural gas projects

Sempra Infrastructure has received US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) authorization to proceed with its 13.5-million tonne/year (tpy) Port Arthur LNG Phase 2 expansion project in Jefferson County, Tex. The permit covers Port Arthur LNG Trains 3 and 4 and will roughly double the plant’s capacity. FERC also approved projects at Venture Global LNG Inc.’s Calcasieu Pass LNG plant, Berkshire Hathaway’s Northern Natural Gas pipeline, and Enbridge Inc.’s Texas Eastern Transmission pipeline. 

Port Arthur Trains 1 and 2 (Phase 1) are under construction and expected to be completed in 2027 and 2028, respectively. Phase 2 will include an additional LNG storage tank and marine berth.

Sempra last week completed the sale of a 42% non-controlling interest in Port Arthur LNG to KKR & Co (OGJ Online, Sept. 13, 2023). It is also developing the proposed 2-bcfd Port Arthur Texas Connector and Port Arthur Louisiana Connector pipelines, and natural gas storage, all of which would serve Port Arthur LNG.

Additionally, Sempra recently acquired 38,000 acres of pore space and relevant surface rights to support the proposed Titan Carbon Sequestration project, under development to capture carbon from the LNG plant.

FERC also approved a 400,000-tpy capacity expansion at Venture Global’s Calcasieu Pass LNG under development in Cameron Parish, La.—increasing output to 12.4 million tpy— and Texas Eastern’s Venice Extension project, which would supply 1.3 bcfd of natural gas to Venture Global’s 20-million tpy Plaquemines LNG plant, expected to begin operations in 2024-25. Venice Extension will involve 63,800 hp of compression and 3 miles of pipeline.

Finally, the agency authorized Northern Natural’s 51-MMcfd Northern Lights 2023 expansion, consisting of 9.8 miles of assorted-diameter pipe to provide incremental winter service in Minnesota and Wisconsin.