Kinder Morgan

Last week MDN reported about a compressor fire at the Kinder Morgan’s Elba Island LNG export facility in Georgia (see Compressor Fire Shuts Down Three Elba Island LNG Export Units). The fire was in the compressor train #2. Just to be safe, Kinder Morgan shut down trains 1-3. The good news is that Kinder is restarting #1 and #3 this week.
Read More “Kinder Morgan Restarting 2 of 3 Shut Down Elba Island LNG Units”

Just when it seemed everything was going great to get all 10 mini-trains up and running at the Elba Island, Georgia LNG export facility (owned and operated by Kinder Morgan), a compressor fire earlier this week has caused the shutdown of three functioning units along with a fourth unit in the process of commissioning.
Read More “Compressor Fire Shuts Down Three Elba Island LNG Export Units”

MDN previously reported in mid-December the very first load of Marcellus molecules liquefied at the Elba Island, Georgia LNG export facility was loaded onto a ship and headed to Pakistan (see Elba Island Finally Exported First Marcellus LNG Cargo on Friday). Elba Island is a series of 10 small liquefaction units, and December’s cargo was from one (maybe two) of those units. What’s happened since that time?
Read More “KM’s Elba Island LNG Makes Rapid Progress, Units 1-4 Now Online”

Last week MDN reported LNG tanker Maran Gas Lindos had docked and was thought to be loading what will be the very first shipment of Marcellus molecules to be exported from the Elba Island, Georgia LNG export facility (see Elba Island Exporting First Marcellus LNG Cargo This Week – Maybe). Although the Elba Island facility is six months or more behind schedule in going online, we’re happy (exhausted, actually) to report that the Maran Gas Lindos left dock Friday evening and is heading to Pakistan with the very first Marcellus LNG shipment.
Read More “Elba Island Finally Exported First Marcellus LNG Cargo on Friday”

Hallelujah! On Monday the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) granted permission to Kinder Morgan to *finally* begin full export operations for Train #1 at the Elba Island, Georgia LNG (liquefied natural gas) export facility. It has been a loooooong time coming. FERC first approved KM’s request to build the facility back in 2016 (see KM’s Elba Island LNG Export Plant Approved by FERC). Since that time there have been a number of “we’re almost ready to start” string of broken promises. FERC has just authorized the first of 10 trains at Elba Island. The other trains should now come online in fairly rapid succession.
Read More “FERC OKs Kinder Morgan Elba Island LNG Train #1 to Begin Service”

Disappointingly, Kinder Morgan’s Elba Island LNG export facility is still not up and running. According to “frustrated” KM CEO Steve Kean, “We were making very good progress on Elba, and then Hurricane Dorian happened.” Sure, blame it on the hurricane. KM wisely evacuated personnel working on the Elba project to avoid Dorian–we have no issue with that. But let’s be honest, this project is WAY behind schedule, originally supposed to be online last year. And it’s one of the smaller LNG projects!
Read More “KM Evacuates Elba Island LNG Ahead of Dorian, More Delays”

Kinder Morgan, the largest pipeline company in the U.S., has left a string of broken promises about the date for which the first Elba Island LNG export plant “mini-train” would begin producing and shipping LNG. We’ve chronicled the journey extensively. According to an official update from KM in July, Elba was “in advanced stages of the commissioning and start up process, including LNG production” (see KM Says Elba Island in “Advanced Stage” of Commissioning/Startup). Very quietly, on Friday, Aug. 9, KM sought permission from FERC to begin operations on the first mini-train, asking to start no later than Friday, Aug. 16. Did it happen?
Read More “KM’s Elba Island Train #1 Now Producing LNG for Export?”