U.S. LNG export player Cheniere is moving forward with the construction of the second train at its Sabine Pass liquefaction plant in Lousiana.
The company expects first cargo from the second train in late August, with substantial completion at the end of September, according to its latest monthly construction report.
Cheniere shipped the first cargo from Sabine Pass Train 1 in February this year. Substantial completion of Train 1 has been completed on May 27 with first commercial delivery expected to occur in November when the 20-year LNG sales and purchase agreement with Shell commences.
According to the May report, Stage 1 overall project completion is 98.8% against the plan of 99.8% while overall project completion for Stage 2 is 86% against the plan of 94.2%.
Trains 3 and 4 targeted substantial completion dates are April 2017 and August 2017, respectively, with schedule recovery expected in the summer of 2016 as labor resource is transitioned from Stage 1 onto Stage 2, Cheniere said in the report.
The majority of work remaining on Train 2 relates to piping insulation and completion of punchlist items, Cheniere said, adding that in Train 3, the installation, testing, and restoration of A/G pipe progress has been “significantly impacted by the heavy rains”.
Activities in Train 4 continue with a focus on the installation of A/G piping.
The Sabine Pass liquefaction facility is the first of its kind to export abundant U.S. shale gas to overseas markets.
Cheniere is developing and constructing up to six liquefaction trains at Sabine Pass, which are in various stages of development. Each train is expected to have a nominal production capacity of about 4.5 mtpa of LNG.
Images: Cheniere Energy