Cheniere Commissions Train 1 of Corpus Christi LNG Expansion Project

Contractor Bechtel Energy Inc. has turned over the first train of the Corpus Christi LNG Stage 3 project to owner Cheniere Energy Inc. following the completion of commissioning activities.

“The substantial completion of the first train of CCL Stage 3 - ahead of schedule and on budget - marks another important milestone for Cheniere and further builds upon the track record of excellence in execution consistently delivered by the Cheniere and Bechtel teams”, Cheniere president and chief executive Jack Fusco said in a company statement Monday.

“We remain focused on safely and efficiently bringing the remaining CCL Stage 3 trains online ahead of schedule, providing much-needed new LNG supply to the global market, and creating long-term value for our stakeholders by growing the Corpus Christi platform with disciplined, brownfield growth”.

Houston, Texas-based Cheniere said, “As of January 31, 2025, overall project completion for CCL Stage 3 was 78.3 percent, which reflects engineering 97.6 percent complete, procurement 97.2 percent complete, subcontract work 88.8 percent complete and construction 45.5 percent complete”.

Stage 3’s train 1 had already started production December 2024 and dispatched its first cargo February 2025, the company said earlier in its quarterly report.

Stage 3 will have seven midscale trains with an expected production capacity of over 10 million metric tons per annum (MMtpa), raising the terminal’s capacity to over 25 MMtpa.

“We expect 2025 to be another record year for LNG production as Stage 3 trains are completed, and we look forward to delivering financial results within these ranges and further enhancing the long-term value proposition of Cheniere”, Fusco said in the fourth-quarter report published February 20, 2025. Last year Cheniere exported a record 646 LNG cargoes containing 2.33 trillion British thermal units.

Midscale trains 1-7 are permitted to export the equivalent of 582.14 billion cubic feet a year of natural gas to both FTA and non-FTA countries on a non-additive basis. In 2021 the Department of Energy (DOE) discontinued its practice of issuing separate long-term permits for the export of LNG from the same facility. Stage 3’s export authorization lasts until December 2050.  

Cheniere plans to build two more midscale trains adjacent to Stage 3 for a further addition of about 3 MMtpa.

In April 2023 Cheniere applied for authorization before the Energy Department to export LNG to FTA and non-FTA markets from the two proposed additional liquefaction trains: midscale trains 8 and 9. In July 2023 Cheniere was cleared to export to countries with a free trade agreement with the United States from the two proposed trains.

In January 2024, however, the Biden administration indefinitely paused pending permitting decisions on the export of LNG to nations without an FTA with the U.S. 

Shortly after taking office for his second non-consecutive term President Donald Trump withdrew his predecessor’s LNG export pause.

On March 11, 2025, a Reuters report cited Cheniere chief commercial officer Anatol Feygin as saying that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission had approved the construction of midscale trains 8 and 9.

To contact the author, email jov.onsat@rigzone.com