石油设备网讯 据路透社报道，Freeport液化天然气公司位于德克萨斯州130亿美元的Freeport液化天然气 (LNG) 出口工厂在联邦监管机构周四批准了试运行后, 离投入使用又近了一步。
美国联邦能源管理委员会（FERC）批准了Freeport的请求，采用燃料来调试液化火炬试点系统，这是液化天然气终端在准备投入使用的过程中迈出的一步。
据正在建造该工厂的美国工程公司McDermott国际公司称，Freeport的第一条生产线预计将在第三季度投入商业运营，同时，据美国管道公司Williams Cos表示，该公司将建造了一条管道把工厂和州际天然气系统连接起来。
McDermott表示，预计2号生产线将于2020年第一季度投入使用，3号生产线将于2020年第二季度投入使用。
能源交易员指出，液化天然气终端通常在进入商业服务前几个月就开始生产液化天然气。
在Freeport的每条生产线的年产能约为500万吨液化天然气或约7亿立方英尺/日的天然气，而10亿立方英尺的天然气足够每天为500万户美国家庭提供燃料。
Freeport持有20年的合同，将1号生产线生产的LNG出售给日本天然气公司大阪天然气有限公司和JERA（日本电力公司东京电力控股公司和中部电力公司的合资公司），而出售给英国石油巨头BP的LNG来自2号生产线，出售给中国化工企业新奥生态控股股份有限公司和韩国能源公司SK E&S的LNG来自3号生产线。
Freeport还与跨国大宗商品贸易公司托克集团达成了一项为期三年的协议，从2020年7月开始向其每年出售50万吨液化天然气。
此外，Freeport正在该工厂开发第四条年产能为500万吨的液化生产线，并可能在2019年第二季度对该生产线作出最终投资决定，该工厂将于2023年或2024年投入运营。
Freeport表示，它正致力于达成一项为期20年的交易，将4号生产线生产的LNG出售给日本贸易公司住友集团旗下的一家子公司，交易量为每年220万吨液化天然气。
詹晓晶摘自路透社
原文如下：
U.S. approves commissioning step for Freeport LNG Texas export plant
Freeport LNG’s $13 billion Freeport liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plant in Texas moved a step closer to entering service after federal regulators on Thursday approved a commissioning step for the plant:
The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved Freeport’s request to introduce hazardous fluids to commission the liquefaction flare pilot system, a step in the process LNG terminals go through as they prepare for service.
The first train at Freeport is expected to enter commercial service in the third quarter, according to U.S. engineering firm McDermott International Inc, which is building the plant, and U.S. pipeline company Williams Cos Inc, which is building a pipe to connect the plant to the interstate gas system.
McDermott said it expects Train 2 to enter service in the first quarter of 2020 and Train 3 in the second quarter of 2020.
Energy traders noted LNG terminals usually start producing LNG a couple months before entering commercial service.
Each train at Freeport will have the capacity to produce about 5 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of LNG or around 0.7 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) of natural gas. One billion cubic feet is enough gas to supply about five million U.S. homes for a day.
Freeport has 20-year contracts to sell LNG to Japanese gas company Osaka Gas Co Ltd and JERA - an alliance between Japanese power companies Tokyo Electric Power Co Holdings Inc and Chubu Electric Power Co Inc - from Train 1, British oil major BP Plc from Train 2 and Chinese chemicals company ENN Ecological Holding Co and South Korean energy company SK E&S from Train 3.
Freeport also has a three-year deal to sell 0.5 MTPA of LNG to multinational commodity trading firm Trafigura Group Pte Ltd starting in July 2020.
In addition, Freeport is developing a fourth 5-MTPA liquefaction train at the facility and could make a final investment decision on the train in the second quarter of 2019 with the plant entering service in 2023 or 2024.
Freeport has said it is working on a 20-year deal to sell 2.2 MTPA of LNG to a unit of Japanese trading firm Sumitomo Corp from Train 4.
