*

Chevron ( CVX ) pushes for input on Venture Global's ( VG ) LNG plant

extension

request

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Venture Global ( VG ) cites COVID-19 challenges for extension

request

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Arbitration tribunal finds Venture Global ( VG ) breached

agreement

with BP

By Curtis Williams

HOUSTON, Oct 14 (Reuters) -

Chevron ( CVX ) on Tuesday asked federal regulators to let

it offer an opinion on Venture Global's ( VG ) recent request

for more time to commission the Plaquemines LNG plant in

Louisiana, at which the U.S. oil major has a long-term sales and

purchase agreement that could be affected by any delay.

The filing from Chevron ( CVX ) came just days after an arbitration

tribunal found that Venture Global ( VG ) breached an agreement with BP

to declare timely commercial operations at its separate

Calcasieu Pass plant, also in Louisiana. The LNG producer's

shares

plummeted

25% on Friday as

investors worried about other ongoing arbitration

liabilities.

Last month, Venture Global ( VG ) asked the Federal Energy

Regulatory Commission to give it until the end of 2027 to

commission the Plaquemines plant, citing challenges stemming

from the Covid-19 pandemic. The original deadline to put the

27.2 million metric tons per annum export facility into service

was September 30, 2026.

"Chevron ( CVX ) has a substantial interest that may be directly

affected by the outcome of this proceeding," it wrote in the

filing. The company did not immediately respond to a request for

further comment.

Venture Global ( VG ) characterized the extension it is seeking as

a standard procedural step that is routinely taken to align

schedules with FERC in-service deadlines.

"To be clear, this request to FERC for an extension of our

in-service deadline at Plaquemines has no impact on our publicly

announced expectations for the commercial operations date of

Phase 1 and Phase 2 which remain the same, " Venture Global ( VG ) told

Reuters on Tuesday.