Gas

Cheniere, Bechtel complete LNG train at Texas Gulf Coast terminal

Liquefied natural gas producer Cheniere Energy announced a major milestone Monday at its Corpus Christi, Texas, LNG liquefaction project.

Train 3 was completed and commissioned and ready for operations turning natural gas into liquid for storage and shipping to markets globally, the company said. Cheniere’s engineering, procurement and construction contracting partner, a subsidiary of EPC firm Bechtel, turned over control of the train with completion of the project last week.

The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission also has authorized commercial operations for Train 3. Cheniere and Bechtel have now completed eight liquefaction trains at the Corpus Christi site and also the Sabine Pass liquefaction project.

LNG terminals are export avenues to transport U.S. natural gas overseas to power generation markets around the world. Agreements with other nations in Asia, Europe and Africa have been signed with U.S. LNG companies in recent years.

Corpus Christi Train 3 has capacity to produce five million metric tons of LNG per year, or about 660 million cubic feet per day, according to reports.

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The Sabine Pass LNG export terminal, along the Louisiana Gulf Coast, has five operational liquefaction units, according to Cheniere, each capable of producing about five million metric tons per year, also. A sixth train is under construction and expected to be operational in 2022.

The U.S. LNG potential is projected to increase to 11.9 billion cubic feet daily in 2022, a 10-percent increase from the past year. A Shell Energy forecast predicts global LNG demand may double in 20 years and reach 700 million metric tons annually, according to reports.

U.S. dry gas production is averaging close to 90 billion cubic feet per day, according to the latest U.S. Energy Information Administration supply report. Qatar is the world’s biggest exporter of LNG, followed by Australia, U.S., Russia and Malaysia, according to Statista.