LNG
In 2024 the four operating Louisiana terminals handled three-fifths of US LNG exports. Sabine Pass is the largest US operating terminal, at about 35 per cent of national LNG exports.
Louisiana has 15 oil refineries, about one-sixth of US refining capacity, plus a Mississippi River industrial corridor and four operating LNG export terminals. Louisiana is divided into parishes rather than counties, so permits, local authorities and emergency planning bodies are organised at parish level. An intrinsically safe mobile phone distributor in Louisiana would carry the IS-04Z1 to these buyers once certification completes.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Louisiana has no appointed SAMS distributor yet: the IS-04Z1 is pre-launch (certification in progress, no certificate issued, launch planned for Q4 2026), and distributor applications are open.
Status: pre-launch. IECEx, ATEX, UKEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress and no certificate has been issued; launch is planned for Q4 2026. An operator's own vendor approval is a separate step. Certification status. Place facts reviewed October 2026.
| Check | What to look for | IS-04Z1 today |
|---|---|---|
| Level of protection | ia, ib or ic matched to the zone | ib, for Zone 1 |
| Entity parameters | Uo, Io and Po within the device limits | Published with the certificate |
| Accessories | Chargers and cases certified with the device | Defined at certification |
| Where it applies | Louisiana: LNG liquefaction and loading, Tank farms and terminals, Refinery process units | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Louisiana. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
The companies on site and the hazardous-area types a handset is likely to meet there.
In 2024 the four operating Louisiana terminals handled three-fifths of US LNG exports. Sabine Pass is the largest US operating terminal, at about 35 per cent of national LNG exports.
A subtropical, humid climate with the highest annual rainfall of the lower 48 states. Most refineries are in the south of the state and are exposed to storms.
The state sits at the junction of the Mississippi River system and the Gulf of Mexico, with the Gulf no more than about 200 miles from any point.
Louisiana has 14 operable refineries with about 3.0 million barrels a day of crude capacity, around 17 percent of the US total and second only to Texas.
The Mississippi River runs about 600 miles through the state to the Gulf, and the low alluvial coastal region of swamp, marsh and barrier islands covers around 12,350 square miles.
Chemical products and petroleum and coal products are among the main contributors to Louisiana's gross state product, alongside food, transport equipment and paper.
Intrinsic safety limits the electrical and thermal energy in a circuit so that neither a spark nor a hot surface can ignite a gas or dust atmosphere, even when a fault occurs. The ib level, used for Zone 1, tolerates one fault. It is the usual way to make a handheld device that a worker carries continuously through a hazardous area.
The IS-04Z1 is designed on this principle for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4). Intrinsic safety is a design basis, not a certificate: certification is in progress and none has been issued yet.
In Louisiana. Louisiana's 15 refineries and four LNG export terminals run frequent rounds, inspections and turnarounds. A handheld intrinsically safe phone is designed to be carried into Zone 1 areas for notes, photographs and messaging at those tasks. It does not remove the need for the operator's permit system, and certification must be completed first.
Distribution of the IS-04Z1 is by authorised partners only, and SAMS has not yet granted a territory for Louisiana. Each application is reviewed on its merits. Because opening a certified Ex handset in an ordinary workshop invalidates its certificate, the partner must be able to support and service the device locally.
Not yet. The IS-04Z1 is pre-launch and its certification is still in progress ahead of a Q4 2026 launch. No unit goes into a classified area before the certificate covering it exists. The datasheet, the certification schedule and safe-area evaluation units are available now.
There is no list price yet. SAMS gives indicative pre-launch pricing in writing, against a stated quantity and site, and does not commit to a lead time before certification completes.
The circuits are designed to limit energy so a spark or hot surface cannot ignite a gas or dust atmosphere, even with one fault (level ib, Zone 1). Certification of that design is in progress.
Likely candidates are refinery process units, petrochemical plants, lng liquefaction and loading, tank farms and terminals. Which areas are classified, and to what zone, is set by the site operator's own area classification drawings.
Apply through the distributor page with your company details and the territory you cover. SAMS reviews applications company by company and has not yet granted a territory for Louisiana.
Yes, Louisiana's political subdivisions are called parishes, so local permits, emergency planning and site addresses are organised by parish. This matters when preparing paperwork for a plant in, for example, St. Charles or Calcasieu Parish.
Southern Louisiana has long hot summers with nights above 70 degrees Fahrenheit and frequent downpours, so look for sealed, water-resistant devices with an operating range that covers summer plant temperatures. Check the datasheet figures instead of relying on general claims.
Louisiana is humid and has very high rainfall, with storm exposure in the south. IP68 helps against water ingress, but connectors and chargers still need to be kept clean and dry, and charging belongs in safe areas. Ask each site about storm shutdown procedures for portable equipment.
Related guides for Louisiana and for United States.
Send the site, zone and gas group and roughly how many handsets. We reply by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule.
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.