Freeport LNG Ramps Up Gas Intake After Train 2 Shutdown

Freeport LNG was ramping natural gas intake back toward normal levels on Monday after maintenance shut one of its three liquefaction trains on Friday, putting a major source of U.S. natural gas demand on track to return to normal levels.Gas flows to the Texas LNG export plant were on track to reach 1.9 billion cubic feet per day on Monday, according to Reuters, citing LSEG data. That compares with an average of 1.2 bcfd from Friday through Sunday and matches the plant’s average intake during the week before the shutdown.Freeport told Texas environmental regulators that Train 2 shut Friday for maintenance on a compressor system.Freeport can consume about 2.4 bcfd when all three liquefaction trains are operating at full capacity and has production capacity of more than 17 million metric tons per year, which makes short disruptions large enough to move U.S. gas demand. When Freeport cuts production, gas that would have been liquefied for export remains in the domestic market. Higher intake increases demand for gas from the U.S. pipeline system.Monday’s projected 1.9 bcfd of feedgas would put intake roughly 700 million cubic feet per day above the average recorded from Friday through Sunday and back at the level Freeport was taking before Train 2 shut. The latest shutdown is not unusual for Freeport. Train 1 went offline with compressor problems in August 2025, cutting gas intake from around 1.9 bcfd to 1.2 bcfd before flows recovered to around 2 bcfd.Freeport has been under close scrutiny by gas traders since an explosion and fire shut the entire facility in June 2022. The plant remained offline for months, removing what was then roughly 2 bcfd of U.S. gas demand while cutting LNG supplies available to overseas buyers. The facility eventually returned to full operations in 2023.By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.comMore Top Reads From Oilprice.comSouth Korea Plans to Triple Canadian Crude Imports as Saudi Share SlipsHouthis Claim Strike on Aramco Facility in Riyadh as Yemen Fighting EscalatesRubio Opens 4-Day NATO Tour in Iceland to Discuss Arctic Security