Cheniere CEO Fusco to Assume Chairmanship as Botta Retires

Cheniere Energy Inc said Monday board chair G. Andrea Botta is scheduled to retire from the liquefied natural gas (LNG) producer next month.

Jack Fusco will take over from Botta while continuing to serve as president and chief executive after Botta's exit May 14, the date of Cheniere's yearly shareholder meeting, the company said in an online statement.

Concurrently Patricia Collawn will become lead director. "Ms Collawn’s position as Lead Director reinforces the company’s overall governance and ensures independent oversight", Houston, Texas-based Cheniere said.

"Since joining the Cheniere board in 2010, I have had the privilege of being a part of the company's evolution from project developer to becoming the leading producer and exporter of LNG in the United States and the second largest LNG operator worldwide", said Botta.

“It is with utmost confidence that I transition the role of chairman to Jack at this critical time in Cheniere's history", Botta added. "Jack's decade of leadership of the company is defined by operational excellence and capital discipline that has established Cheniere as the premiere global infrastructure platform it is today".

Fusco commented, "My foremost priorities are maintaining our track record of safety and operational excellence while advancing accretive brownfield growth across Sabine Pass and Corpus Christi to support global energy markets with our secure and reliable LNG for decades to come".

Last year Cheniere achieved a company record of 670 cargos exported and generated $19.98 billion in revenue and $5.33 billion in net profit, according to its quarterly report February 26, 2026.

LNG Expansion

As part of its expansion plans, Cheniere earlier this year received federal non-FTA export authorization for a two-train expansion totaling 3.28 million metric tons per annum (MMtpa) at its Corpus Christi LNG terminal in Texas.

The Mid-Scale Trains 8 and 9 Project received Energy Department authorization for export to countries with a free-trade agreement with the United States on July 19, 2023.

The permitted volume totals 170 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of natural gas equivalent per year or 0.47 Bcf per day. Cheniere may export from the two trains until 2050 with a three-year allowance to continue exporting remaining volumes after the expiry, according to the authorization.

"With today's order, Corpus Christi LNG is now authorized to export a total of 4.45 Bcfd, making it the second-largest LNG export project in the U.S.", the department said in an online statement February 2026.

Cheniere announced a positive final investment decision on mid-scale trains 8 and 9 June 24, 2025, saying it had also issued a "full notice to proceed" to contractor Bechtel Corp.

Trains 8 and 9 would rise next to the under-construction Stage 3 Project of the existing terminal, located in the counties of Nueces and San Patricio.

Stage 3 consists of seven mid-scale trains with a total capacity of over 10 MMtpa. Mid-scale trains 1-7 are permitted to export the equivalent of 582.14 Bcf per annum of gas to both FTA and non-FTA countries on a non-additive basis, under DOE orders first issued - later amended - 2018 and 2020.

Around six MMtpa of Stage 3 have been put into operation as of yearend 2025, according to Cheniere's quarterly report.

"Substantial completion was achieved for trains 1-4 of the CCL Stage 3 Project in March, August, October and December 2025, respectively, and trains 5-7 are scheduled to reach substantial completion by the end of 2026", the report said. "In February 2026, LNG was produced for the first time from train 5 of the CCL Stage 3 Project".

Cheniere confirmed in the report, "In December 2025, certain subsidiaries of Cheniere filed an application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to increase the liquefied natural gas production capacity of the previously-authorized CCL Stage 3 Project and CCL Mid-Scale Trains 8 & 9 Project by approximately five million tonnes per annum, which remains pending at the FERC".

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