US energy firm Sempra expects its 3.25mn t/yr (430mn ft³/d) Energia Costa Azul (ECA) LNG export terminal in Mexico to begin production next month, the company announced today.
The terminal, at Baja California's Ensenada on the Pacific coast, began receiving feedgas on 20 April but has not yet produced LNG. The facility took about 27mn ft³/d of feedgas from 24 April to 4 May, according to the latest pipeline data.
Sempra anticipates the terminal will begin producing LNG in June before reaching substantial completion this summer, the company said. The project has until 21 September to begin exports under its license with the US Department of Energy (DOE).
The project will re-export US natural gas, mostly from the Permian basin of west Texas and New Mexico, putting its request to export LNG under DOE's purview.
ECA's long-term offtake customers are TotalEnergies and Mitsui, which hold 1.7mn t/yr and 800,000 t/yr, respectively.

