Well report No. RR-7629 · T17N · R49W · SEC 5 · filed September 30, 2026
Gas & LNGWell report
Golden Pass LNG Loads First Export Cargo at Sabine Pass
Golden Pass LNG shipped its first export cargo from Sabine Pass, Texas, 23 days after first production, as Train 1 starts up at the $10 billion QatarEnergy-ExxonMobil terminal.
Field notes
- Golden Pass LNG dispatched its first export cargo on Wednesday, 23 days after first LNG production at Sabine Pass, Texas.
- QatarEnergy holds 70% and ExxonMobil 30% of the terminal, converted under a $10 billion FID taken in 2019 from a 2010 import facility.
- Train 1 is running; Train 2 is due online in H2 2026 and Train 3 in H1 2027, toward roughly 18 million tons per year of export capacity.
Golden Pass LNG has loaded and dispatched its first export cargo from its terminal on the Sabine-Neches Waterway in Texas, 23 days after the facility produced its first liquefied natural gas.
The cargo left port Wednesday aboard the Liberian-registered vessel Al Qa'iyyahal, according to ship-tracking data. Golden Pass did not disclose the destination of the inaugural shipment.
"Today's first LNG export cargo is a defining moment for Golden Pass, our workforce, the community, and the nation," said Alex Savva, President and CEO of Golden Pass. "As we advance toward full commercial operations, we are proud to have commenced supplying reliable U.S. LNG to the global market."
The terminal sits about 10 miles south of Port Arthur, Texas. QatarEnergy holds 70% of the venture and ExxonMobil holds 30%.
A decade-long conversion reaches commercial delivery
Golden Pass opened in 2010 as an LNG import terminal. In 2019, shareholders sanctioned a $10 billion final investment decision to convert the facility into an export plant. When fully operational, the terminal is expected to export about 18 million tons of LNG per year.
Train 1 is currently running. Trains 2 and 3 remain under construction and commissioning, with Train 2 slated to come online in the second half of 2026 and Train 3 in the first half of 2027.
"The successful commencement of LNG exports from our Sabine Pass terminal marks the fulfillment of the vision our shareholders — QatarEnergy and ExxonMobil — set in motion when they committed to this project years ago," said Chief Commercial Officer Jeff Hammad. "It's incredibly rewarding to stand here now with Golden Pass delivering on that promise and shaping the future of global energy."
Market timing
The startup arrives as geopolitical developments in the Strait of Hormuz have affected more than 10 billion cu. ft. per day of supply — roughly 20% of the global total, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Golden Pass is the only new U.S. LNG export terminal currently expected to begin shipments in 2026.
At full buildout, the project will rank third in nominal capacity among U.S. LNG export facilities currently shipping, behind Cheniere Energy's Sabine Pass terminal in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, and Venture Global's Plaquemines LNG.
Watch item: Train 2 startup in the second half of 2026, the next milestone on the path toward the plant's 18-million-ton-per-year nameplate.
via s3.divcom.com (Original)
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