Briefs & UpdatesLNG ProjectsProject Database

Force Majeure & The LNG Supply Chain: Scenarios For BH, Kiewit, & Venture Global

April 2020

Total Pages: 17

Table Of Contents

  • Supply Chain Overview Pages 1-2
  • Satellite Images: BH’s Fabrication Yard In Avenza, Italy  Pages 2-4
  • Implications Of Calcasieu’s Unique Contractual/Structural Dynamics  Pages 3-5
  • Force Majeure Flow Charts: Wrapped vs Unwrapped  Pages 4-5
  • Pertinent Questions From Here  Pages 5-6

Reviewing Satellite Images Of Italian Fabrication Yards & Force Majeure Flow Charts

The LNG Supply Chain & Force Majeure Dominoes. Given the continued, rolling implications of the global response to COVID-19, we thought it was worthwhile to examine potential points of friction as it pertains to the implications of Force Majeure (FM) declarations on large-scale, multi-faceted LNG export projects. We believe such a scenario is relevant for Venture Global’s Calcasieu Pass (CPLNG) project given its globally linked supply chain – including its liquefaction modules which are being fabricated at a Baker Hughes (BH) fabrication facility in Avenza, Italy. (Satellite images on Pages 2-4)

Venture Global’s Potential FM Predicament Is Unique. A typical, fully wrapped, EPC contract would typically just keep an owner on the hook for extensions to a contractor’s guaranteed completion date. However, the less expensive, decentralized contracting structure that Venture Global has assembled for CPLNG could potentially expose the project to contractors looking to recover mitigation and prolongation costs. (Pages 2-4)

Implications Of FM Claim For BH, Kiewit, & VG. We believe work on CPLNG’s modules was still progressing last week (with non-essential personnel working from home), given the escalation in restrictions we believe those productivity dynamics are (justifiably) fluid. Should BH file a successful FM claim, it would most likely be granted… (Pages 3-6)
For access information, please email us at info@webberresearch.com

Recently viewed reports

Hydrogen Roadmap – Fuel Comparisons: Emissions, Feedstock, & CI Scores – Future Of Transportation (Part 3)

Hydrogen Roadmap – Fuel Comparisons: Emissions, Feedstock, & CI Scores – Future Of Transportation (Part 3)

February 2021
$850

W|EPC: Southern Company (SO) – Q420 Vogtle Project Monitor – Key Decisions That Could Haunt Cost Prudency

W|EPC: Southern Company (SO) – Vogtle Nuclear Expansion – Q420 Project Monitor – Key Questions That Could Haunt Cost Prudency
Key Takeaways: Vogtle Q420 Monitor – Key Decisions That Could Haunt Cost Prudency

• Who Will Be Getting Stuck With +$2.1B In Cost Overruns? Once Vogtle Unit 4 reaches “fuel load”, Georgia Power/Southern Company (GP/SO) can request a cost prudency determination to push their portion of cost overruns (~$2.1B) into recoverable utility rates. (Page 4)
Regulators will determine cost prudency based on project data, testimony, and a simple question: What should a reasonable manager have done at the time of the decision? (Page 5)
• We expect that process to be heavily scrutinized considering the scale of the overruns, and, in our opinion, some questionable GP/SO decisions. (Pages 4-5)

• Decisions That Could Haunt GP/SO’s Prudency. We believe there’s a case to be made that multiple GP/SO management decisions ran contrary to industry standards, potentially contributing to ($) billions in cost overruns, including
o A failure to either include or implement multiple EPC contract……(Page 7)
o For the first 4-years of the project, GP/SO used only…..(Page 23)
o In 2017, it appears GP/SO did not validate critical underlying EPC…..(Pages 9- 10)

October 2020
$1,900

Commonwealth LNG: A Detailed Look At Calcasieu’s Noisy Neighbors

We’ve analyzed the CWLNG project and how the Project’s boundaries and shipping operations may be a kick to kiddlehopper for CPLNG, the State of Louisiana, and the U.S. Coast Guard.

March 2020
$2,000