The amount of natural gas flowing to Freeport LNG's export plant in Texas fell close to zero on July 7 as Hurricane Beryl roared towards the Texas coast, with the amounts set to remain near zero on July 8, according to data from financial firm LSEG.

Freeport is one of the most-watched U.S. LNG export plants because it has a history of swaying global gas prices when it shuts. 

"We have safely ramped down production at our liquefaction facility and intend to resume operations once it is safe to do so after this weather event," officials at Freeport LNG told Reuters over the weekend.

Before Beryl approached the Texas coast, feedgas to the 2.1-Bcf/d facility averaged around 1.7 Bcf/d from June 30 to July 6, according to LSEG data.

With Freeport down, gas flows to the seven big U.S. LNG export plants, including Freeport, was on track to drop to an 11-week low of 11.0 Bcf/d on July 8, down from 11.1 Bcf/d on July 7 and an average of 12.5 Bcf/d over the prior seven days.

Freeport is the nation's third-biggest LNG export plant behind Cheniere Energy's 4.5-Bcf/d Sabine Pass in Louisiana and 2.4-Bcf/d Corpus Christi in Texas.

Despite Beryl, other LNG export plants located near where Beryl made landfall were still expected to pull in gas on July 8, including Sabine at about 4.3 Bcf/d of feedgas, Corpus at about 2.3 Bcf/d and Cameron LNG in Louisiana at about 1.8 Bcf/d, according to LSEG data.

Each of Freeport's three liquefaction trains can turn about 0.7 Bcf/d of gas into LNG.

1 Bcf is enough gas to supply about 5 million U.S. homes for a day.

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