(Adds background, natural gas prices)
Feb 2 (Reuters) - Freeport LNG, the second biggest U.S.
liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter, sought approval from
federal regulators to start loading LNG onto ships at its
long-idled export plant in Texas, according to a filing made
available on Thursday.
The Freeport plant shut in a fire in June 2022 and was
barred from restarting LNG production until federal regulators
completed an extensive safety review and approved resulting
changes.
Specifically, Freeport said in its filing with the U.S.
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) that "reinstatement
of Dock 1 LNG loading services will allow Freeport to recommence
normal LNG ship dockage and loading operations."
Freeport also said it will "create inventory space
within Tanks 1 and 2 in anticipation of obtaining agency
authorization for commercial operation of" one of the plant's
three liquefaction trains, which turn natural gas into LNG.
Federal
regulators approved
of Freeport's request to start producing LNG in the third
liquefaction train on Wednesday.
(Reporting by Rahul Paswan in Bengaluru and Scott DiSavino in
New York; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
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