Factbox-US Gulf Coast energy facilities brace for Storm Francine

(Reuters) - Energy facilities along the U.S. Gulf Coast have begun scaling back operations and evacuating some production sites as Tropical Storm Francine swept through the energy-rich region, and was poised to strengthen into a hurricane later Tuesday.

Francine was advancing toward the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, set to become the fourth hurricane of the Atlantic season, which concludes on November 30. Francine could intensify into a Category 2 hurricane, ahead of its expected landfall along the Louisiana coast on Wednesday evening, the National Hurricane Center said.

Offshore production in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, which accounts for approximately 1.8 million barrels per day or about 15% of the nation’s total crude output, could face disruptions as the storm progresses. Such interruptions have the potential to affect U.S. oil supplies, leading to upward pressure on prices for domestic oil and offshore crude grades.

The U.S. Coast Guard has imposed vessel restrictions at some Texas ports, including Brownsville, Corpus Christi, and Freeport, which are key hubs for oil imports and exports. The ports of Houston and Galveston in Texas, along with New Orleans in Louisiana, remained open to vessel traffic on Monday, and the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP) was operating under normal conditions.

OPERATOR FACILITY CAPACITY DATE DETAILS

ExxonMobil Hoover offshore platform - Sept. 09 Shut-in output and evacuated staff

Chevron Gulf of Mexico - Sept. 09 Evacuating

facilitiesAnchor platform, non-essential staff from four

Tahiti oil platform offshore platforms, shutting in

oil and gas output at two offshore

production platforms

Shell Perdido oil platform, Whale 125,000 barrels of oil Sept. 09 Evacuating

platform equivalent per day non-essential personnel from three

(boe/d) for Perdido oil offshore oil platforms, paused

platform; 100,000 boe/d drilling operations at two others

for Whale platform

Freeport (LNG) LNG export plant in Texas 2.1 billion cubic feet Sept. 09 Begun storm preparations at its

per day Texas plant

Cameron (LNG) LNG export plant in Louisiana - Sept. 10 Amount of natural gas flowing to

the export plant dropped

Enbridge Inc South Marsh Island 76,Ship - Sept. 10 Pulled employees from

Shoal 207, 332 platforms several offshore U.S. Gulf of

Mexico platforms

(Reporting by Sherin Elizabeth Varghese in Bengaluru; editing by Jonathan Oatis)