U.S. regulators on Monday asked liquefied natural gas developer Venture Global LNG to provide customers with documents regarding mechanical issues and startup conditions at its Louisiana plant.
Venture Global LNG's Calcasieu Pass plant has been the focus of disputes among energy companies such as BP and Shell, all vying to obtain liquefied natural gas from the facility.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission stated in an order that it will appoint an administrative law judge to arrange the distribution details of the requested documents. FERC expects Venture Global and its customers to discuss the terms of a protective order.
The Calcasieu Pass plant, operated by the Arlington, Virginia-based company, has been producing and shipping liquefied natural gas for over two years, but has not supplied contracted customers, citing that the plant is not fully operational.
BP and Shell requested in January that FERC compel Venture Global LNG to release documents to determine why commercial operations have been delayed, calling the delay "unprecedented and inexplicable."
These documents cover the ongoing maintenance of the steam generators archived under seal, and 124 weekly commissioning and site inspection reports detailing significant issues affecting these critical power-generating devices, according to a Venture Global spokesperson.
The spokesperson stated that FERC's order is "not interested in any pending commercial disputes between Venture Global and its customers."
A Shell spokesperson said Monday that the order is a "victory for transparency." The order may reveal "why Venture Global continues to delay announcing the end of the commissioning process and avoids delivering cargoes to the partners supporting its project."
