ECA LNG Phase 1 has loaded and shipped its first liquefied natural gas cargo from Ensenada, Baja California, Sempra Infrastructure confirmed, putting the 3.25-MMtpy export terminal on the final approach to commercial operations.

The facility consists of a single liquefaction train with nameplate capacity of 3.25 million tonnes per year. It is a joint venture between Sempra Infrastructure and TotalEnergies, with TotalEnergies holding long-term offtake agreements and Mitsui & Co. also carrying long-term purchase contracts.

Once fully operational, ECA LNG will be the first liquefaction export facility on Mexico's Pacific Coast. That position matters for molecules, not flags: the terminal offers a direct outlet for U.S. natural gas from the Permian Basin to Asian and other Pacific Basin markets, using a shorter shipping route than U.S. Gulf Coast terminals. Shorter voyages cut transportation costs and freight time, which sellers can monetize through netback differentials on Pacific-delivered cargoes.

Sempra Infrastructure President and Chief Executive Officer Justin Bird framed the first cargo as the opening of a new supply corridor.

"At a time of increased uncertainty in the global LNG trade, we are excited to begin shipping a new and reliable source of natural gas from North America's Pacific Coast to customers around the globe," Bird said.

TotalEnergies Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Patrick Pouyanné, whose company anchors the offtake book, pointed to portfolio positioning.

"The start-up of ECA LNG, whose strategic location provides privileged access to Asian markets, strengthens the quality of our integrated LNG portfolio in North America," Pouyanné said.

The schedule now runs to a defined milestone. Sempra Infrastructure expects the project to reach substantial completion during the summer of 2026, with commercial operations and deliveries under long-term sale and purchase agreements beginning shortly afterward. First cargo and substantial completion are distinct events in LNG contracting — commissioning cargoes precede the start of contractual deliveries — so buyers under the TotalEnergies and Mitsui agreements will not see firm supply begin until that 2026 window.

A second phase remains under development at the Ensenada site, though Sempra has not sanctioned the expansion. Phase 1 operations and the timing of an FID on Phase 2 are separate workstreams, and the company disclosed no capacity figure or schedule for the larger train in this announcement.

For U.S. producers, the startup adds another demand point on the West Coast outlet for Permian gas associated with crude-directed drilling. For Asian buyers, it adds a Pacific-facing supply option at a moment when contracting patterns and trade flows are in flux — the uncertainty Bird referenced.

The watch item: substantial completion in summer 2026 and the transition to contracted deliveries under the long-term SPAs, followed by any movement on Phase 2 sanction at Ensenada.