Venture Global Declares Commercial Operations at Plaquemines LNG Phase 1

Venture Global has declared commercial operations at Phase 1 of its Plaquemines LNG export project in Louisiana, 53 months after the final investment decision (FID) — a schedule the company says ranks among the fastest for a greenfield LNG export facility (a plant built from scratch rather than expanded).

Shell loaded the first cargo from Phase 1 once commercial operations began. Venture Global said the shipment also marked the project's first cargo delivered under a long-term sales and purchase agreement (SPA), the contract structure that underpins LNG project financing.

What does the site look like?

The terminal sits in Plaquemines Parish, roughly 20 miles south of New Orleans, on a 630-acre site with 1.3 miles of Mississippi River frontage providing deep-water access. The full facility design is built for scale:

• Export capacity exceeding 28 million tonnes per annum (mtpa), with potential for further expansion
• 36 liquefaction trains of 0.626 mtpa each, arranged in 18 blocks, plus six pre-treatment trains
• Three ship-loading berths, each sized for LNG vessels of up to 200,000 m³
• Four full-containment storage tanks of 200,000 m³ each
• Two combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plants rated at 720 MW peak each, backed by additional 25 MW gas-fired aeroderivative turbines
• Two pipelines of 15 and 12 miles, each 42 inches in diameter, linking the terminal to interstate gas networks

In plain words: Plaquemines pairs one of the largest US nameplate capacities with a fully self-supplied power and feedgas chain.

What did the company say?

Venture Global CEO Mike Sabel said: "Achieving commercial operations at the first phase of our second LNG project in 53 months is a testament to our team's relentless dedication and hard work."

"We are thrilled to hit another major milestone that enables us to continue delivering reliable, affordable American LNG to the global market," Sabel said, adding: "We deeply appreciate the collaboration of our regulators and supply chain partners, whose shared commitment helped us deliver this project safely and on schedule."

Where does this fit in Venture Global's portfolio?

Venture Global reports more than 100 mtpa of LNG capacity across its projects — operational, under construction, or in development. The company began LNG production in 2022. Its other major projects are Calcasieu Pass and CP2 LNG, all sited in Louisiana.

The company also indicates it is progressing carbon capture and sequestration efforts across its LNG sites, though it gave no timeline or capacity figures for those programs.

On the commercial side, Venture Global and Atlantic-SEE LNG Trade expanded their existing US LNG sales and purchase agreement in June 2026, extending the term to 20 years starting in 2030.

What is the watch item?

The watch item is Phase 2 and beyond: Venture Global has flagged potential expansion beyond the stated 28 mtpa, and further cargo loadings under long-term SPAs will show how quickly the 36-train design reaches nameplate rates. In plain words: the market will now track Plaquemines' ramp-up curve against that 53-month build record.