Cheniere Energy Expanding Corpus Christi Complex

The biggest U.S. exporter of liquefied natural gas Cheniere Energy has revealed its plans to expand its complex on the Texas coast.

Cheniere said submitted a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) requesting a pre-filing review for the proposed Corpus Christi Liquefaction Midscale Trains 8 & 9 Project. According to the company, the proposed project would expand the previously approved liquefaction project and Stage 3 project facilities.

Namely, the company is seeking to add two midscale production lines – otherwise known as trains – as well as a 220,000-cubic-meter storage tank at its Corpus Christi plant. It also wants to add a refrigerant storage facility, appurtenant connecting facilities and piping, and an increase in Corpus Christi’s previously approved ship loading rates.

Cheniere plans to file a formal application with the agency in February 2023 upon completion and approval of the commission’s mandatory 6-month pre-filing process. Construction would begin in October 2024 with a projected in-service date during the second half of 2031.

This request to the FERC comes some two months after the company reached a final investment decision for the Stage 3 expansion of Corpus Christi LNG.

Stage 3 is supposed to be a 10+ million ton per annum project that consists of up to seven ​midscale trains bringing Corpus Christi’s total nominal capacity to approximately 25 mtpa.

Cheniere’s 1,000+ acre Corpus Christi Liquefaction facility is in the Corpus Christi Bay in San Patricio County, Texas, where energy infrastructure and estuaries coexist. It currently has three fully operational liquefaction units, all of which were completed ahead of schedule and within budget, and each train is designed to produce around 5 million tons per annum of LNG.

The first two LNG trains, along with the first two LNG tanks and wharf facilities, were completed in August 2019, while the third train and tank and a second berth were finished in March 2021.

It is worth noting that Cheniere signed six LNG supply deals since May as Europe and Asia continue to compete for tight global supplies.

To contact the author, email bojan.lepic@rigzone.com