US LNG export facility finally reaches commercial operations

Venture Global’s Calcasieu Pass, at centre of customer controversy, reaches full strength three years after commissioning began

Venture Global chief executive Michael Sabel.
Venture Global chief executive Michael Sabel.Photo: CERAWEEK BY S&P GLOBAL

Three years after it began commissioning, Venture Global’s Calcasieu Pass liquefied natural gas export terminal has begun commercial operations as planned, the US LNG player confirmed on Tuesday.

Venture Global also said it has begun selling LNG to its long-term offtake customers whose contracts underpinned the financing for the 10 million tonnes per annum facility.

“We are excited to reach this milestone and are grateful for our regulators and supply chain partners who have worked with our team to reach commercial operations as efficiently and safely as possible,” Venture Global chief executive Mike Sabel said in a statement.

Venture Global said in February that it had planned a 15 April commercial operations date for Calcasieu Pass, which reached a final investment decision (FID) in 2019 and began shipping commissioning cargoes in March 2022. The facility has delivered more than 400 cargoes since then, US Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) filings show.
The US company has blamed issues with power-generating equipment for the longer-than-expected commissioning phase.
Despite the commercial operations pledge, some of Venture Global’s long-term customers, including Shell, have said they will continue to pursue arbitration cases against the US company.

BP is hoping to see a ruling in its case in the second half of 2025, chief executive Murray Auchincloss told analysts on the company’s last earnings call in February. Orlen and Repsol are also continuing their arbitration fights, Reuters reported.

Those companies have said they believed Venture Global used the equipment issue as an excuse to sell cargoes on inflated spot markets. Venture Global has routinely denied those accusations.

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Published 15 April 2025, 15:38Updated 15 April 2025, 15:38
Venture GlobalCalcasieu PassShellBPRepsol