Sempra’s Cameron LNG and Cheniere’s Sabine Pass LNG facilities appeared to be unaffected by hurricane Ida which made landfall as a Category 4 storm in Louisiana on Sunday. The two facilities have a combined capacity to produce more than 40 million tons/year of LNG from eight liquefaction trains. LNG plant operators were on alert before the storm’s landfall. However, Ida, fortunately, tracked too far eastward to cause any serious impact on those facilities.
An industry survey showed feedgas flows stood at 10.2 Bcfd on Monday, just slightly down about 200 MMcfd from a week earlier. In 2020, US Gulf Coast LNG facilities fell victim to hurricane Laura which had the same intensity as that of Ida. Cameron LNG shut its three trains on August 26, 2020, before Laura’s landfall and only resumed cargo deliveries by October 5, 20202. Meanwhile, Sabine Pass resumed production a week after Laura as it found no significant damage at the facility.
While US Gulf Coast LNG production bases were unaffected by Ida, LNG shipping was disrupted, with some shipments likely to be delayed. Tankers had to wait for Ida to pass before heading to Asia or Europe.
