Cameron LNG, a liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in Louisiana operated be Sempra Energy has declared force majeure due to technical problems at the export terminal but the impact on volumes was not immediately clear, LNG traders said on Friday.
The export terminal is one of three new facilities to have come onstream this year, boosting U.S. LNG production and prompting a wave of imports into Europe which has depressed gas prices there.
But it has had teething problems with the start-up of the facility, delaying exports after sending its commissioning cargo in May, trade sources said in June.
On Friday, traders said they were notified by Cameron LNG of the force majeure.
“Can confirm FM on Cameron. Volume impact unclear. Compressor problem,” one trader said.
Cameron LNG has sent out eight cargoes since May, reaching a level of three cargoes a month in August, Refinitiv shipping data showed. The last cargo left on Sept. 7.
Cameron LNG’s first plant, or train, has a capacity of 5 million tonnes a year (mtpa), with another two trains of 5 mtpa each due to start up in the first and second quarters of 2020.
The United States exported 22 mtpa last year, as Train 5 of Sabine Pass and Train 1 of Corpus Christi, operated by Cheniere Energy and the Cove Point terminal of Dominion Energy began operations.
