Sempra Infrastructure is extending the commissioning process at its ECA LNG Phase 1 plant in Ensenada, Mexico, after inspectors found damage in the project's refrigerant compressors, the company said July 27. The damage turned up during planned inspections that followed the one-train liquefaction plant's first cargo shipment. Sempra Infrastructure is a subsidiary of Sempra (NYSE: SRE).
The Ensenada plant has moved fast this year: mechanical completion in December 2025, feed gas introduced in April 2026, and first LNG production during commissioning in June 2026, followed by its first cargo shipment earlier this month. Sempra Infrastructure now expects the project to reach substantial completion in the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to a root cause investigation and remediation work going as planned, with sales starting under long-term purchase agreements shortly after. The company said it does not expect the setback to cut into its planned earnings contributions against Sempra's 2026 and 2027 guidance ranges, pointing to strong year-to-date performance.
Port Arthur construction stays on schedule
Sempra Infrastructure is also building Port Arthur LNG Phases 1 and 2 in Port Arthur, Texas, a project expected to add 26 million tonnes per annum of new export capacity once both phases are complete. Construction on both phases remains on time and on budget. The Port Arthur Pipeline Louisiana Connector has been placed in service, and the related LA Storage project is also on time and on budget. Both are meant to support natural gas supply to the Port Arthur LNG facility, part of Sempra's broader midstream and LNG buildout.
Ecogas sale set to close in August
Mexico's Comisión Nacional Antimonopolio approved Sempra Infrastructure's planned sale of Ecogas México without condition last week, clearing the way for the deal to close in August. The sale is expected to generate about $500 million in proceeds, part of the company's strategy of recycling capital into large-scale energy infrastructure development.
