Golden Pass LNG achieved first LNG production from Train 1 on March 30, with an initial cargo expected to depart in 2Q26. East Daley Analytics expects Train 1 of the QatarEnergy–ExxonMobil (XOM) joint venture to ramp feedgas demand to over 800 MMcf/d in 2Q26, and Trains 2 and 3 to begin service in 2027. Pipeline flows to the project near Sabine Pass, TX have grown to nearly 350 MMcf/d in early April 2026.
The timing carries geopolitical significance. Reuters reports that Italy’s Edison, which holds a 6.4 Bcm/year (~620 MMcf/d) LNG offtake contract with QatarEnergy, will begin receiving Golden Pass cargoes at the Adriatic LNG terminal as early as June, helping offset missed Qatari deliveries caused by the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz. QatarEnergy has declared force majeure on long-term contracts to Italy, Belgium, South Korea and China, with Iranian attacks reportedly knocking out 17% of Qatar’s LNG export capacity. The Edison contract is equivalent to the nameplate export capacity of one train at Golden Pass.
For regional gas balances, Golden Pass Pipeline has historically functioned as a wheeling system around the Texas-Louisiana border, receiving gas from the Gulf Run and Midcoast pipelines and redelivering to Tennessee Gas, Texas Eastern (TETCO), Transcontinental (Transco), and Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America (NGPL).
As LNG production ramps, East Daley expects this dynamic to shift. Receipts from Gulf Run have remained flat around 700 MMcf/d, while Midcoast receipts (which started in 2026) have grown to nearly 200 MMcf/d. Meanwhile, deliveries to Transco, TETCO and Tennessee have all declined in 2026, suggesting that gas supply previously wheeled to downstream pipelines is increasingly being redirected to the Golden Pass terminal.
See East Daley Anlaytics’ ArkLaTex Supply & Demand Report for more on the Gulf Coast natural gas market. As the Train 1 ramp continues and Trains 2–3 come online, Golden Pass will become a meaningful demand sink for Haynesville supply, tightening the regional balance. – Oren Pilant Tickers: XOM.
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