Sempra Infrastructure, a subsidiary of San Diego energy giant Sempra, announced this week that its Energía Costa Azul (ECA) liquefied natural gas facility in Ensenada, Mexico, has loaded and shipped its first export cargo — a milestone for the company and for North America’s Pacific Coast energy trade.

“At a time of increased uncertainty in the global LNG trade, we are excited to begin shipping a new and reliable source of natural gas from North America’s Pacific Coast to customers around the globe,” Sempra Infrastructure CEO Justin Bird said in a statement.

The cargo, carried by a TotalEnergies-operated vessel called Pacific Success, is heading to Asia, according to the French energy company, which owns a minority stake in the project and will offtake 1.7 million metric tons of LNG over 20 years. Ship-tracking platform Kpler confirmed the vessel’s departure.

For San Diego, the ECA facility’s launch is significant both economically and geopolitically. The facility is located on the Pacific coast of Baja California, roughly 70 miles south of the U.S.-Mexico border, and its Pacific Rim positioning offers a key advantage over Gulf Coast LNG operations: shipments to Asian markets take roughly half the time and avoid Panama Canal tolls.

Phase 1 of ECA will have capacity to ship 3.25 million metric tons of LNG per year from a single production unit, with gas sourced from the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico. Development of Phase 2 is already underway.

The first cargo arrives at a turbulent moment in global energy markets. Oil and gas deliveries have been disrupted by traffic restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz following U.S. and Israeli airstrikes in Iran, and European nations have increased reliance on LNG imports since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanné said the facility’s location “provides privileged access” to Asian markets, calling it a strengthening of the company’s “integrated LNG portfolio in North America.”

However, the project has drawn environmental opposition. Masada Disenhouse, executive director of SanDiego350, said in an email that “Sempra’s LNG terminal expands the use of methane gas, a fossil fuel and greenhouse gas that is 20-80 times as potent as carbon dioxide, exacerbating dangerous and costly climate disasters like the LA fires last year, which cost over $250 billion.”

The launch also comes as Sempra parent company undergoes a strategic shift. Last fall, Sempra announced a $10 billion deal to sell 45% of Sempra Infrastructure to affiliates of KKR and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. Under the deal, expected to close this year, Sempra’s share of ECA Phase 1 will be reduced from 58.4% to 20.9%. The company is similarly reducing its stakes in Cameron LNG in Louisiana and Port Arthur LNG in Texas.

For San Diego’s energy sector, the ECA launch reinforces the region’s role as a hub for cross-border energy infrastructure. Sempra remains one of the largest employers in the region, and the company’s shift toward infrastructure partnerships signals a new phase in its corporate strategy — one that prioritizes capital efficiency while maintaining exposure to the growing global LNG trade.

The facility is expected to reach full commercial operations later this summer, with Phase 2 development already in progress.