U.S. LNG company Venture Global LNG received permission on Nov. 4 from federal regulators to start commissioning liquefaction systems at the company’s Calcasieu Pass LNG export plant in Louisiana.

Specifically, the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved Venture Global’s request to commission the Block 1 liquefaction modules and the South LNG tank at Calcasieu.

Venture Global filed for permission to build the project in September 2015 and received FERC approval to start construction in February 2019.

The plant is expected to start producing LNG in test mode later this year before entering commercial service in early 2022.

Venture Global is installing 18 modular liquefaction trains configured in nine blocks at Calcasieu to produce about 10 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of LNG, equivalent to about 1.5 Bcf/d of natural gas. Analysts estimate the plant cost about $4.5 billion.

In addition to Calcasieu, Venture Global has about 60 mtpa of LNG export capacity under development in Louisiana, including the 20-mtpa Plaquemines, which could start construction later this year, the 20-mtpa Delta and the 20-mtpa CP2.

On Nov. 4, Venture Global said it signed agreements to sell LNG from Plaquemines and Calcasieu to units of China Petroleum and Chemical Corp., or Sinopec.

Several other firms have entered long-term deals to buy LNG from Calcasieu, including units of Royal Dutch Shell Plc, BP Plc, Edison SpA, Galp Energia SGPS SA, Repsol SA and Polish Oil and Gas Co. (PGNiG).

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