December restart of Freeport LNG export plant in USA is in doubt

Freeport LNG has yet to seek permission from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to restart operations at the Texas plant, as reported by a source familiar with the matter. Given this data, the customers raised doubts that the facility may not return to service by the end of the year. 

On Friday, Freeport LNG officials announced plans to restart partial gas processing at the plant by mid-December. They had previously reported the LNG exporter would shut down its export facility to complete repairs following a June fire. 

According to the company officials, proposed remedial work activities for a safe restart of initial operations has been filed and U.S. regulators will review and approve the request.

The U.S. LNG export facility is likely to return to service after they get an approval from PHMSA. 

The procedure usually takes at least a month. However, it could be delayed as U.S. holidays are approaching, according to an analyst.