US regulators okay Freeport LNG request to return ship loading at Texas plant

US federal energy regulators have approved Freeport LNG’s request to return ship loading to service at its long-idled Texas liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plant, Report informs referring to Reuters.

Freeport, the second biggest US LNG export plant, shut after a fire in June 2022. The energy market expects gas prices to rise once the plant starts producing LNG again.

When operating at full power, Freeport can turn about 2.1 billion cubic feet (bcf) of gas into LNG each day. That is about 2% of total US daily gas production.

Freeport was on track to receive about 69 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) of pipeline gas on February 9, according to Refinitiv data. Freeport has received an average of 34 mmcfd of feedgas since January 26 when federal regulators approved the company's plan to start cooling parts of the plant.

Freeport has told state regulators that it would soon start sending gas to one of the plant's three liquefaction trains, which turn gas into LNG for export.

In its filing, the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said this authorization to "return to service LNG Loop 1 circulation and dock 1 ship loading" does not grant authorization to place liquefaction trains or other remaining facilities back into service.