PLAQUEMINES PARISH, La. — Venture Global’s massive Plaquemines LNG terminal reached the date the company has long targeted for Phase 1 commercial operations this weekend, marking a major transition for one of Louisiana’s largest energy projects after nearly two years of producing and exporting LNG during commissioning.
In an October 1 filing with the U.S. Department of Energy, Venture Global said it anticipated commercial operations for the initial phase beginning October 31, 2026, with Phase 2 following in mid-2027. Federal regulators had previously been asked to authorize the completed Phase 1 facilities for service, clearing the principal regulatory path toward the transition.
The distinction between commissioning and commercial service matters. Plaquemines has already been producing LNG and loading cargoes since late 2024, but commercial operation shifts Phase 1 toward regular deliveries under the long-term contracts that helped support the project’s financing.
DOE records say Plaquemines has binding long-term sales agreements covering the project’s entire 20 million metric tons per year of nameplate capacity, along with additional annual quantities above nameplate. The October filing also disclosed eight new long-term gas-supply contracts signed since the company’s previous semiannual report.
Phase 1 represents about 13.3 million metric tons per year of nameplate capacity. Venture Global has financed the broader Plaquemines development through billions of dollars in construction financing and secured debt, making it one of the largest privately financed industrial projects in Louisiana.
The project sits along the west bank of the Mississippi River about 20 miles south of New Orleans. Venture Global began construction in 2021, produced its first LNG in December 2024 and exported its first commissioning cargo later that month.
Commercial service is especially important because Venture Global’s commissioning practices have been closely watched by the global LNG market. Several customers challenged delays in commercial deliveries at the company’s earlier Calcasieu Pass terminal while Venture Global continued selling commissioning cargoes into the spot market. Those disputes made the commercial-operation dates at Plaquemines unusually consequential for buyers.
For Louisiana, the milestone is another step in the state’s emergence as one of the world’s major LNG-export centers. Existing terminals at Sabine Pass, Cameron LNG and Calcasieu Pass already move enormous volumes of U.S. natural gas into international markets, while Woodside’s Louisiana LNG and Venture Global’s CP2 are adding another wave of construction and future export capacity.
Plaquemines itself may become substantially larger. Venture Global has proposed a separate brownfield expansion adjacent to the existing terminal that would add approximately 18.6 million metric tons of annual liquefaction capacity. That expansion remains under federal environmental and regulatory review and should not be confused with the existing Phase 1 facilities moving toward commercial service.
The company has said the expansion could represent roughly $18 billion in additional investment if it proceeds. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission materials describe 12 additional liquefaction blocks, another marine loading berth and new power-generation facilities on property next to the current terminal.
That means the October 31 milestone is not the end of construction at Plaquemines. Phase 2 is still being completed, and the separate expansion remains a future proposal rather than an approved project.
It does, however, mark an important dividing line for the first phase: a Louisiana LNG facility that has spent nearly two years starting up, testing equipment and selling commissioning cargoes is moving into the long-term commercial business for which it was built.
Because Venture Global’s public website still described Plaquemines as under construction and commissioning early Sunday, the precise contractual status of every Phase 1 obligation should continue to be confirmed through subsequent company and regulatory filings. The established milestone is that October 31 was the company’s federally reported target for Phase 1 commercial operations after the federal in-service process.
Sources
U.S. Department of Energy — Venture Global Plaquemines October 2026 progress report
FERC eLibrary — Venture Global request to place Phase 1 facilities in service, Oct. 1, 2026
