The amount of natural gas flowing to Freeport LNG's export plant in Texas was on track to drop to near zero on April 11, data from financial firm LSEG showed.

That drop in expected feedgas came one day after Freeport said one of the plant's three liquefaction trains tripped.

The startup and shutdown of Freeport has in the past had a major impact on U.S. and European gas prices. 

Gas futures at the Dutch Title Transfer Facility (TTF), the European benchmark, were up about 6%, while prices at the U.S. Henry Hub NCc1 benchmark in Louisiana were down about 2% in their first decline in five trading sessions.

Freeport Train 3 experienced a trip late on April 9 that lasted into April 10, an emissions report the company filed on April 10 with Texas environmental regulators showed.

Before that event, it looked like the amount of gas flowing to Freeport was increasing to an expected 1.5 Bcf/d on April 10 from 1.1 Bcf/d on April 9 and an average of 0.8 Bcf/d over the prior seven days, LSEG data showed.

Now, however, the LSEG data showed the amount of gas flowing to Freeport was on track to drop to 0.2 Bcf/d on April 11, down from 0.7 Bcf/d on April 10.

One billion cubic feet is enough gas to supply about five million U.S. homes for a day.

Freeport officials had no comment on the emissions event or the latest reduction in feedgas.

The preliminary increase in flows earlier this week was a surprise to many in the market and helped cause U.S. gas prices to rise, since the plant was not expected to ramp up until May.

"The market was expecting two trains (at Freeport) online with the recent increase in feedgas, but that is gone now," an energy trader told Reuters.

"So probably base case remains one train online up until May at least," the trader said.

Freeport said in late March that it expected two of the three liquefaction trains at the plant —Trains 1 and 2 — to remain shut until May for inspections and repairs, while Train 3 was operating.

Each Freeport train can turn about 0.7 Bcf/d of gas into LNG.

Overall gas flows to the seven big U.S. LNG export plants have slid to an average of 12.6 Bcf/d so far in April, down from 13.1 Bcf/d in March. That compares with a monthly record of 14.7 Bcf/d in December.

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