HOUSTON, May 30 (Reuters) -

Cheniere Energy said on Friday it has begun annual

maintenance work on its liquefied natural gas plant in Sabine

Pass, Texas, the largest U.S. LNG plant.

Sabine Pass has annual capacity of 30 million metric tonnes

per annum (mtpa) and has played a major role in making the U.S.

the world's largest exporter of LNG.

"Planned maintenance activity is underway at Sabine

Pass," a Cheniere spokesperson told Reuters by email.

Declines in U.S. LNG output usually have an impact on

global prices.

The annual maintenance work is expected to reduce U.S.

output of LNG for the next few weeks.

Gas flows to Cheniere's 4.5-bcfd Sabine Pass plant were on

track to drop from 3.9 bcfd on Thursday to an 11-month low of

3.7 bcfd on Friday, while feedgas to the company's 3.9-bcfd

Corpus Christi in Texas was on track to drop from 2.1 bcfd on

Thursday to a two-week low of 1.6 bcfd on Friday.

Energy traders have said they expect total LNG feedgas

to remain below April's record high in June with Cheniere

planning about three weeks of maintenance on liquefaction trains

at Sabine around June 2-23.