Tellurian to Start Building Louisiana LNG Export Terminal in 2019

U.S. liquefied natural gas company Tellurian Inc said on Wednesday it remains on track to begin construction of its Driftwood LNG export terminal in Louisiana in the first half of 2019 and begin operations in 2023.

Tellurian President and CEO Meg Gentle said in the company's second-quarter earnings release that Tellurian is on schedule to announce its partners in the Driftwood project in the third or fourth quarter.

Driftwood is one of more than two dozen LNG export projects under development in the United States seeking customers so they can start construction and enter service in the next decade.

Tellurian said it has about 25 customers interested in partnering with and buying gas from the project.

The company estimated it would receive a final environmental impact statement from federal regulators in October 2018 that would enable the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to approve construction of Driftwood in January 2019.

That would allow Tellurian to make a final investment decision to build the project and start construction in the first half of 2019 and start delivering LNG to the world in 2023, the company said.

(Reporting by Scott DiSavino Editing by Bill Trott and Paul Simao)