Energy News Beat
ENB Pub Note: The update below from LNGPrime.com on the Corpus Christi export facility is great news on the Train 2 project. I have added the total Cheniere export capabilities.
Current Export Capacity
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Sabine Pass LNG Terminal:
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Located in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, it has six fully operational liquefaction trains, each capable of producing approximately 5 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of LNG.
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Total nominal production capacity: ~30 mtpa of LNG.
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This facility processes more than 4.7 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas into LNG.
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Corpus Christi LNG Terminal:
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Located near Corpus Christi, Texas, it currently has four fully operational liquefaction trains.
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Total nominal production capacity: ~16.5 mtpa of LNG.
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Combined Current Capacity:
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Together, the Sabine Pass and Corpus Christi facilities have a total operational production capacity of approximately 45 mtpa of LNG.
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Expansion Projects and Future Capacity
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Corpus Christi Stage 3 Expansion:
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This expansion project includes seven midscale trains, with an expected additional production capacity of over 10 mtpa of LNG.
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Train 1 produced its first LNG in December 2024 and reached substantial completion in March 2025. Two additional trains are expected to reach substantial completion in 2025, with the remaining four in 2026.
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Upon completion of all seven trains, the Corpus Christi facility’s total capacity will exceed 25 mtpa of LNG.
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There are also plans to potentially add two more trains, which could add an additional 3.28 mtpa (1.64 mtpa each), bringing the total cost of the expansion to $13.5 billion.
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Sabine Pass Stage 5 Expansion Project:
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Cheniere is developing an expansion project adjacent to the Sabine Pass facility, which includes up to three large-scale liquefaction trains, each with a production capacity of approximately 6.5 mtpa, and a boil-off-gas (BOG) re-liquefaction unit with a capacity of 0.75 mtpa.
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Total additional capacity: up to ~20 mtpa of LNG.
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The project is in the pre-filing review process with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and is designed to leverage existing infrastructure, with no specific completion date provided in the sources.
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Total Projected Capacity:
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With the completion of the Corpus Christi Stage 3 expansion, Cheniere’s total capacity across both facilities is expected to exceed 55 mtpa (45 mtpa current + 10 mtpa from Corpus Christi Stage 3).
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If the Sabine Pass Stage 5 Expansion is completed, the total capacity could reach approximately 75 mtpa (45 mtpa current + 10 mtpa Corpus Christi Stage 3 + 20 mtpa Sabine Pass Stage 5).
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Additional Notes
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Contracted Volumes: Approximately 95% of Cheniere’s expected LNG production capacity (completed or under construction) is contracted through long-term take-or-pay agreements with creditworthy counterparties, providing stable cash flows. The remaining volumes are available for Cheniere’s marketing unit to sell on the spot market.
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Export Approvals: The U.S. Department of Energy has authorized Sabine Pass and Corpus Christi to export the equivalent of 0.72 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas as LNG to non-free trade agreement countries, including all of Europe, enhancing their export flexibility.
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Global Reach: Cheniere’s LNG has reached more than 40 markets across five continents, and the company is the largest LNG exporter in the U.S. and the second-largest globally as of 2024.
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Future Growth: Cheniere is actively pursuing further expansion opportunities, supported by favorable regulatory conditions under the current U.S. administration, which could further increase its export capacity.
Summary
FERC granted Corpus Christi Liquefaction’s May 6 request to introduce fuel gas to the midscale Train 2 for the Stage 3 project.
“This approval is based on FERC staff inspections and review of the information filed on June 30, 2023, March 25, July 31, August 14, October 17, and 24, November 8, 19, and 22, and December 20, 2024, and May 5, 6, and 23, 2025,” the regulator said.
Cheniere made the final investment decision on the CCL Stage 3 expansion project, worth about $8 billion, in June 2022.
The project includes building seven midscale trains, each with an expected liquefaction capacity of about 1.49 mtpa, adding to the three operational trains, each with a capacity of about 5 mtpa.
In March, Cheniere’s EPC partner, Bechtel, turned over care, custody, and control of CCL Stage 3 Train 1 and associated systems to Cheniere ahead of schedule.
During Cheniere’s first-quarter earnings call on May 8, Cheniere’s CEO, Jack Fusco, said that Cheniere continues to expect the first three trains to be substantially completed by the end of 2025.
“Train 2 is well into the commissioning phase at this point, and I expect to achieve first LNG around the end of this month or early next. We’ve been able to deploy significant lessons learned from our commissioning and early operations of train 1 into train 2 and expect the subsequent trains to benefit from these learnings and efficiencies, as we bring them into operations,” Fusco said.
In addition to this expansion, Cheniere received approval from FERC in March to build two more midscale trains at its Corpus Christi LNG plant.
Cheniere recently sought and won approval from FERC to start site preparation activities for the trains.
The proposed midscale trains 8 and 9 project includes adding two midscale liquefaction trains, each with an expected liquefaction capacity of about 1.49 mtpa, and associated facilities, as well as increasing the authorized loading rate at the terminal’s existing marine berth.
In February, Fusco confirmed that the company still expects to make FID to build two more midscale trains at its Corpus Christi LNG plant this year.
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The post Cheniere gets OK to introduce fuel gas to second Corpus Christi expansion train appeared first on Energy News Beat.
