The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on March 13 asked LNG developer Venture Global LNG to explain the basis for its extensive filing of confidential documents in its Calcasieu Pass LNG export terminal.

Venture Global LNG customers have protested to FERC that they have been unable to understand why the Louisiana plant has not provided contracted cargoes because of the company's filing of confidential documents to the energy regulator on plant construction and repairs.

The Arlington, Virginia-based LNG exporter has previously said it will not provide its customers with the privileged documents unless instructed to do so by FERC.

The FERC request comes days after Venture Global LNG customers had challenged the company's request for a one-year extension of its startup and urged the regulator to make Venture Global release the confidential commissioning documents.

Venture Global LNG did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

FERC specifically called on the firm to "provide a form of protective agreement as required by the Commission’s regulations for requests for privileged treatment of documents; or Identify where a protective agreement that applies to the filed material has already been filed in the docket."