Freeport LNG Train 3 granted restart approval

Freeport LNG Development LP received regulatory approvals from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to restart Train 1 of its 15-million tonne/year (tpy) liquefaction plant on Quintana Island, Tex. The 5-million tpy train is the final of the three trains to receive restart authorization.

Trains 2 and 3 returned to full commercial operation in recent weeks, reaching production levels in excess of 1.5 bcfd, the company said in a release Mar. 8 (OGJ Online, Feb. 22, 2023; Feb. 14, 2023).

As the recommissioning of the liquefaction plant continues and trains are restarted, changes in feed gas flows and production rates are to be anticipated given the duration of the plant's outage, the company said. Operations at the site were originally halted following a June 2022 explosion.

A conservative ramp-up profile to establish full three-train production of LNG is anticipated to occur over the next few weeks.