Venture Global gets approval to add natural gas in final block of Plaquemines

US LNG giant Venture Global has been given the green light by federal regulators to begin adding natural gas into the final block at the firm’s Plaquemines LNG plant, Reuters reported on October 21 citing a filing from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

With the authorization granted by FERC, Venture Global could begin producing the super-chilled fuel from the entire Plaquemines facility before the end of October. That timeline would mark an enormous achievement, more than one year ahead of when it is expected to begin delivering its first cargoes to foundation customers.

Venture Global was given approval in late August to add nitrogen to Block 15, which is a preliminary step before gas production commences.

Earlier in October, Venture Global was granted its request by FERC to extend the commissioning stage until December 31, 2027. However, the Arlington, Virginia-headquartered company has said that the push back of the commissioning phase will not delay the planned commencement of commercial, long-term sales.

The Plaquemines export terminal has been steadily increasing output each month since it produced first LNG in December 2024. In August, the facility exported 1.6mn tonnes of the super-cooled gas, representing about 17% of the US’s total exports for the month, according to data from the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG).

The Plaquemines facility boasts 18 blocks and has a nameplate capacity of 27.2mn tonnes per year (tpy) of LNG. Despite major cost overruns, the Plaquemines facility is slated to go from final investment decision (FID) to commercial operation date significantly faster than most other LNG plants.

FID was taken in May 2022 for the first phase of the facility, with the second phase receiving a positive FID in March 2023 for the plant located on 630 acres next to the Mississippi River in Plaquemines Parish, 20 km south of New Orleans.