Now Bloomberg reports Freeport LNG told customers that outages at its Texas terminal, which has been closed since June and was scheduled to reopen by mid-November, could be delayed further.
People with direct knowledge of the situation said LNG shipments for November and December are likely to be canceled as maintenance work continues on the liquefaction plant. Also, regulatory approvals could prolong the start date.
This comes as heating demand is set to surge across the Northern Hemisphere. The LNG export facility in Freeport, Texas, accounted for 15% of all US LNG exports, most of which were sent to Europe.
Freeport said last week it was set to resume operations this month, though reliable timelines from the company have been hard to get, according to the people.
Last Friday, US natural gas prices plunged after rumors circulated on social media about possible restart delays at Freeport. Then the company denied Twitter rumors late Friday which sent US Natgas prices higher early Monday to only plunge again, with now Bloomberg reporting possible restart delays.