Did Russian Cyberattack Cause Freeport LNG Explosion & Fire?

Two weeks ago the second-largest LNG export terminal in the U.S., Freeport LNG located near Galveston, Texas, experienced an explosion and fire (see Explosion Rocks Freeport LNG Export Plant – Offline for 3 Weeks). Initially, Freeport officials said the plant and its 2 Bcf/d of LNG production would be offline for "at least" three weeks. Last week we got the bad news that Freeport will be offline until September, at which time it may partially return to service. Full service at Freeport is not expected until the end of the year (see NYMEX NatGas Down 20% in Single Day on Freeport LNG Bad News). Until now we thought the explosion was just an accident or random equipment failure. However, credible sources are suggesting the explosion may have been caused by Russian hackers.

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