Sempra Pushes ECA LNG Start to Q4 as Compressor Repairs Delay Mexico Export Project
Sempra Infrastructure says it is extending the commissioning process at its Energia Costa Azul (ECA) LNG Phase 1 terminal in Ensenada, Mexico, after inspectors found damage to the plant’s refrigerant compressors, the company said in a July 27 press release.
The one-train liquefaction facility hit mechanical completion in December 2025, introduced feed gas in April 2026, and produced its first LNG cargo in June, which it loaded and shipped earlier this month. Following that shipment, the plant was shut down for planned inspections, during which crews discovered the compressor damage. Sempra Infrastructure now expects to reach substantial completion in the fourth quarter of 2026, pending a root cause investigation and remediation work, with long-term sale and purchase agreements starting shortly after.
The company said the delay will not reduce its planned earnings contributions relative to Sempra’s 2026 and 2027 segment guidance.
The setback comes as Sempra Infrastructure continues construction on the much larger Port Arthur LNG Phases 1 and 2 in Texas, which remain on time and on budget and are expected to add 26 million tonnes per annum of nameplate export capacity once complete. The associated Port Arthur Pipeline Louisiana Connector has already been placed in service, with the LA Storage project also tracking on schedule.
Separately, the company said its planned sale of Ecogas Mexico, a Mexican gas utility, cleared antitrust review from Mexico’s Comisión Nacional Antimonopolio last week and is expected to close in August for roughly $500 million in proceeds, part of Sempra’s ongoing capital-recycling strategy to fund further large-scale energy infrastructure builds.
What It Means for Subcontractors: Refrigerant compressor failures at newly commissioned LNG trains typically trigger targeted mechanical, instrumentation, and controls work rather than a broad demobilization, meaning specialty subcontractors already on site at ECA LNG should expect continued call-outs through the root cause investigation and remediation phase. The bigger opportunity remains at Port Arthur, where two full LNG trains under active, on-schedule construction in Texas will keep demand elevated for civil, mechanical, and E&I subcontractors well into 2027.
