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Freeport LNG Maintenance Work Continues – Gas Flows to One Train

As we told you last week, the problem-plagued Freeport LNG export plant continues to be mostly offline following an episode of cold temps in January (see Freeport LNG Repairs Won’t be Done Until May – 2 Trains Offline). Freeport announced that two of the three trains at its facility would remain out of service for testing and repairs through May. The plant has not operated at full capacity since late January following a deep freeze in Texas that caused problems in Train 3. We have a better fix on just how much natural gas is (and is not) currently flowing to the Freeport facility.
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Freeport LNG Repairs Won’t be Done Until May – 2 Trains Offline

The problem-plagued Freeport LNG export plant continues to be mostly offline following an episode of cold temps in January. It seems like this facility has been out of commission more than it’s been in commission since it went online in 2019. A few days ago, Freeport announced that two of the three trains at its facility would remain out of service for testing and repairs through May. The plant has not operated at full capacity since late January following a deep freeze in Texas that caused problems in Train 3.
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16 States Sue Biden Admin Over Pause in LNG Export Approvals

Finally, a little legal action to push back against Joe Biden’s “pause” on approving new LNG export applications. In January, Joementia announced he would “pause” any approvals for new LNG export plants (currently 17 requests in the pipeline) for at least one year while his people fart around pretending to figure out how to measure global warming as a new consideration for whether or not to approve projects (see White House Makes it Official – Biden Declares War on LNG Exports). It was a purely political move aimed at currying favor with the radical left. Yesterday, 16 state Attorneys General filed a lawsuit asking a federal judge to end the pause.
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Toby Rice Sounds Off at CERAWeek on Better Market for Gas Than LNG

The annual CERAWeek by S&P Global conference is happening now in Houston. Everybody who’s anybody is there. (Yes, we’re nobodies; we’re not there!) Oil and gas CEOs, politicians, regulatory agencies — they all convene in Houston to talk about energy at what is billed as “the world’s premier energy conference.” Toby Rice, CEO of EQT Corporation (the largest natural gas producer in the U.S.), was there yesterday. He had some VERY interesting things to say during a panel discussion and on the sidelines. Rice touted the need for more pipeline infrastructure, predicting wild swings in the price of natural gas absent new pipelines. He also said there’s an even bigger market than LNG for U.S. natural gas. What could it be?
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Elba Island LNG Expansion Gets Positive Enviro Assessment from FERC

In April 2022, MDN reported that the top brass at Kinder Morgan, the owner and operator of the Elba Island LNG export facility (also known as Southern LNG), was considering an expansion of its modestly-sized facility (see Kinder Morgan Considers Expanding Marcellus-fed Elba Island LNG). KM subsequently submitted an application to federal regulators last year requesting an expansion of the facility. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) personnel issued a positive Environmental Assessment (EA) on March 8. But, there’s a wrinkle.
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Chinese Co. Signals Opposition to Venture Global LNG Time Extension

Venture Global has been defrauding its contracted customers for more than two years by not officially christening its Calcasieu Pass LNG export facility in Louisiana as officially open for business, denying customers cargoes under contracted prices. Yet during that time, Venture Global has exported (on the spot market) more than 250 LNG cargoes! It’s a sham, and everybody knows it. Venture Global got the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to extend the “must officially be open by date” for an extra year last year (expired Feb 21st of this year). Unbelievably, Venture Global wants FERC to extend it for ANOTHER year (see Venture Global Asks FERC for Another Year to Finish CP LNG). Needless to say, Venture Global’s contracted customers, the ones being defrauded (including a Chinese company), object…
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Rhode Island Neighbors Prefer Gas Outages to Permanent LNG Plant

In 2019, the Rhode Island Energy Facility Siting Board waived a licensing requirement for a “temporary” LNG storage facility in Portsmouth to prevent another gas outage episode from happening again (see With “Backs Against Wall” Rhode Island Approves LNG Facility). Board members complained they had no choice, that “we have our backs against the wall” and “people’s lives could be in danger” if they didn’t approve the LNG facility. The “temporary” facility has remained operating since that time. Rhode Island Energy recently submitted a proposal to make the facility permanent instead of an ongoing temporary installation. The people who live nearby and for whom it keeps them warm in the winter oppose the plan. They prefer to freeze.
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Democrat Senators Intro Bill to Ban Sales of Oil & LNG to China

U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced the Protecting American Households From Rising Energy Costs Act, legislation that would ban the export of crude oil or liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the U.S.’s biggest adversaries: China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. “We should not allow American liquid natural gas to fuel China’s state-sponsored industries. The Chinese Communist Party uses that energy to cheat and undermine Ohio production and Ohio jobs,” said Brown. “Blocking China and other adversaries from obtaining our LNG will protect our national security.”
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New Poll Shows 58% of PA Voters Oppose Biden’s LNG Export Ban

A new poll released by Axis Research and Pennsylvania Energy Infrastructure Alliance (PEIA) shows 58% of Pennsylvania voters disagree with Joe Biden’s infamous “pause” on approving new LNG export permits. Here’s the astounding part: 57% of poll respondents were Democrat and Independent voters! Yes, a majority of Democrats and Independents in PA disagree with old Joe. But that’s not all. After learning more about Biden’s LNG pause, 41% of those surveyed said they were less likely to vote for Biden because of his LNG pause. Joementia is in trouble in PA.
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Freeport LNG Outage at Train 3 Continues Longer Than Predicted

In January, Freeport LNG said that one of its three liquefaction trains was offline and would remain offline for “about a month” due to a “technical issue” following a recent Arctic freeze that reached all the way to the Gulf Coast (see One of Three Freeport LNG Trains Offline for “About One Month”). The outage caused U.S. LNG exports as a whole to drop about 7% in February over January. Freeport now says the one-month outage has turned into two months. The facility’s third train, offline since mid-January, is not expected to be back online until mid-March.
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PA Gov. Shapiro Gives Biden Love Tap re LNG Pause

Democrat Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro told Bloomberg reporters the Biden administration’s recent pause in LNG export licenses should be “limited in time.” Shapiro stopped short of outright criticizing Biden’s pause, something that could undermine job creation in a state that’s relying on energy to drive growth. Shapiro couldn’t even stand up Joementia, what a wimp! What Shapiro said amounts to a tiny love tap. It’s completely meaningless. Shapiro is standing by while Biden DESTROYS Marcellus drilling in the Keystone State.
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PA Dem Senator Bob Casey Faces No-Win Situation re LNG Pause

Earlier this month, MDN told you about Pennsylvania’s two U.S. Senators, John Fetterman and Bob Casey, and their wishy-washy, mild criticism of Joe Biden’s decision to “pause” any new LNG export permits (see PA’s 2 Democrat U.S. Senators Mildly Chide Biden for LNG Pause). We published their joint statement, which appears to criticize Biden’s LNG pause without actually doing so. Typical political double-speak. One of the two, Bob Casey, is up for re-election this year, and he’s walking a razor-thin tightrope of trying to keep union votes while at the same time not alienating his wacko environmental leftist supporters. A new article looks at Casey’s chances of pulling off such an electoral miracle.
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API Files Legal Challenge to Overturn Biden LNG Export Pause

The American Petroleum Institute (API), which is no friend of independent shale drillers, together with six other O&G groups, filed an application for rehearing on the Dept. of Energy’s (DOE) indefinite pause on new and pending liquefied natural gas (LNG) permit approvals for non-FTA countries. The application for rehearing is a legal filing, the first stop on the way to a full-blown court case. The filing asks the DOE to reconsider and stop its pause on advancing requests to export LNG. If the DOE denies the rehearing request, the Bidenistas can expect to be sued in federal court to overturn the pause.
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Venture Global Asks FERC for Another Year to Finish CP LNG

If this doesn’t take the cake. Venture Global has been screwing its contracted customers for more than two years by not officially christening its Calcasieu Pass LNG export facility in Louisiana as officially open for business (denying customers cargoes under contracted prices), yet during that time, Venture Global has exported (on the spot market) more than 250 LNG cargoes! It’s a sham, and everybody knows it! Venture Global got the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to extend the “must officially be open by date” for an extra year last year (expired Feb 21st of this year). And now, unbelievably, Venture Global wants FERC to extend it for ANOTHER year!
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LPG & Ethane Shipments Thru Panama Canal Pick Up in January

Last November, MDN warned you about delays with LPG (propane) and LNG ships transiting the Panama Canal (see Drought Along Panama Canal Causing Delays in Propane, LNG Exports). According to the Panama Canal Authority (APC), water levels at Gatún Lake were the lowest since at least 1995 due to an extended dry season and lower-than-normal precipitation on the Panama Canal. Gatún Lake is the artificial lake that vessels pass through to transit between the Atlantic and Pacific locks, and it holds the water supply needed to operate the lock systems of the canal. The situation got to the point that the APC began auctioning slots to use the canal (see LNG Vessels Transiting Panama Canal Must Use Auction for Time Slots). Good news! While the drought continues, it’s less worse than it was, and U.S. energy shipments through the Canal have increased once again.
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LNG Exports Figure Big in Antero’s Future Starting This Year

Last week, Antero Resources, which is 100% focused on the Marcellus/Utica with over 500,000 net acres under lease (and the largest M-U driller in West Virginia), issued its fourth quarter and full-year 2023 update, which we covered (see Antero 4Q – Production Up 6%, Profits Down 87%, 21 New Wells). While we picked up and published transcript excerpts from the conference call, including an extended discussion about LNG by Antero SVP of Natural Gas Marketing, Justin Fowler, today we have another look at the information shared last week — just how important LNG is to Antero’s future.
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