QatarEnergy-ExxonMobil Golden Pass LNG marks 'milestone' first cargo export

The historic cargo was loaded onto QatarEnergy’s 2024-built, 174,000-m³ LNG carrier Al-Qaiyyah at the terminal in Sabine Pass, Texas.

According to ICIS senior LNG analyst Alex Froley, the vessel is en route to Zeebrugge in Belgium.

The first liquefaction train at Golden Pass is now operational, with a capacity of 6.0M tonnes per annum (mta). Two additional trains of the same capacity are planned, bringing the total project capacity to 18 mta. The partners said construction and commissioning activities continue on Trains 2 and 3.

Golden Pass is a joint venture between QatarEnergy (70%) and ExxonMobil (30%). The partners had announced a final investment decision of more than US$10Bn in February 2019 to develop the project.

QatarEnergy said that 70% of the project’s LNG production will be offtaken by QatarEnergy Trading, its wholly owned LNG trading arm.

“This is a significant industry milestone that marks a new chapter in QatarEnergy’s global efforts to meet rising LNG demand and ensure reliable supplies to international markets,” QatarEnergy president and chief executive, and Qatar Minister of State for Energy Affairs Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, commented.

“As we advance toward full commercial operations, we are proud to have commenced supplying reliable US LNG to the global market,” said Golden Pass president and chief executive Alex Savva.