GLNG: Venture Global asks FERC for authorisation to commence part of Calcasieu LNG plant

US LNG producer Venture Global has requested authorisation from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to begin service of liquefaction blocks 7-9 at Calcasieu Pass LNG terminal in a filing made on October 10.

The announcement marks the latest development around the $4.5bn plant, which has a nameplate capacity of 10mn tonnes per year (tpy) and has emerged as the subject of disputes between four of its customers, namely Repsol, Shell, BP and Edison.

The companies allege that Venture Global has unfairly denied them billions of dollars of cargoes that it sold on the spot market at higher prices than available under its long-term contracts, while the LNG facility was still in test mode.

According to Venture Global’s spokesperson Shaylyn Haynes, the filing does not mean that the customers of Venture Global will now gain immediate access to cargoes, since significant repair and commissioning work must still be carried out.