US energy infrastructure firm Sempra said today that it has placed the 2bn ft³/d Louisiana Connector pipeline in service as it works to finish construction on an LNG export terminal in southeast Texas.
The pipeline will ultimately feed the 13.5mn t/yr first phase of Port Arthur LNG when it begins exports in 2027. The conduit runs 72-miles from the Gillis hub north of Lake Charles, Louisiana, to the export terminal in Port Arthur, Texas. The line will also tie into Sempra's 25.5bn ft³ LA Storage facility in southwest Louisiana, which is expected to begin operations in the second quarter of 2027.
Flows had not yet begun on the Louisiana Connector as of 8 June, according to pipeline data.
Sempra began construction on the two-train first phase of Port Arthur LNG in 2023 and intends for the trains to begin commercial operations in 2027 and 2028, respectively. The company reached a final investment decision last September to double the production capacity with two additional trains, which are expected to come on line in 2030 and 2031. Another pipeline, the 2bn ft³/d Texas Connector, will supply feedgas to the second phase.
Sempra has a pending request with the US Department of Energy to re-export imported cargoes of LNG as it eyes start-up activities later this year. The developer is seeking a two-year window to do so, beginning no later than 1 October.
