Feedgas on interstate pipelines to US LNG terminals fell to the lowest level in more than three months on Wednesday as scheduled maintenance at the 17.4mn t/yr Freeport LNG and 18.1mn t/yr Golden Pass LNG terminals in Texas offset the end of work at the 28.9mn t/yr Corpus Christi LNG facility.
Overall feedgas nominations on interstate pipelines dropped to 15.9bn ft³ on 13 May, the lowest since 27 January, pipeline data show. US LNG terminal operators are proceeding with maintenance despite the de facto closure of the strait of Hormuz cutting off about a fifth of the world's LNG supplies since 28 February.
A spokesperson for Freeport LNG told Argus one of the terminal's three trains is undergoing scheduled maintenance for "several weeks" after pipeline data showed nominated flows fell to 1.15bn ft³ on 13 May, down from 1.8bn ft³/d over 1-12 May. Market participants expect the outage to curtail about three cargoes of LNG.
And Golden Pass, sited near the Texas-Louisiana border, was set to receive just 50mn ft³ of gas on 13 May, the lowest since 7 March. The facility's daily feedgas receipts have gradually fallen from the 410mn ft³ it received on 8 May. A spokesman told Argus the terminal was addressing "normal startup-related maintenance" as Golden Pass continues bringing its first liquefaction train online. The terminal has exported two cargoes since producing its first LNG in late March.
Flows to US LNG terminals have already been down this month, averaging 16.5bn ft³/d on interstate pipelines over 1-12 May from 18.1bn ft³/d in all of April. These fell because of planned maintenance at Sempra's 15mn t/yr Cameron LNG terminal in southwest Louisiana, which typically undergoes annual work in May, as well as at Cheniere's Corpus Christi plant. Flows to Corpus Christi LNG in south Texas were set to recover to 2.4bn ft³ on 13 May, up from 1.7bn ft³/d over 1-12 May and in line with the facility's April average. A Cheniere spokesman confirmed the maintenance was complete.
