Freeport LNG, hobbled since June because of an explosion, isn’t eying an initial restart at its liquefaction facility until the second half of January 2023, the company said on Dec. 23.

The restart of operations takes into account “the time needed for the regulatory agencies to review the company’s responses and to seek any necessary clarification,” Freeport LNG said in a company press release.

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Through Dec. 23, reconstruction work necessary to commence initial operations is substantially complete, and Freeport LNG is submitting responses to the last remaining questions included in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Dec. 12 data request, the company said.

The additional LNG volumes to hit the waters will likely be destined for the U.K. and Europe — regions suffering from a lack of gas supply due to sanctions imposed on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine earlier this year.

Freeport LNG’s three-train 15 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) Quintana Island liquefaction facility located near Freeport, Texas is the seventh largest in the world and second largest in the U.S., according to the company. A fire on June 8 halted all operations at the facility.

The Houston-based company plans to expand by adding a fourth liquefaction train, which has received all regulatory approvals for construction.

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