LNG Commissioning Cargo Departs Cheniere’s Corpus Christi Liquefaction Facility

Photo: MarineTraffic.com/P.K.

Cheniere Energy has announced that the first commissioning cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) has loaded and departed from its Corpus Christi liquefaction facility in Texas, marking the first export of LNG from The Lone Star State and from a “greenfield” liquefaction facility in the lower 48 states.

The LNG was loaded on the LNG carrier Maria Energy, chartered by Cheniere Marketing.

Greenfield projects are built on a previously undeveloped or minimally developed sites, while “brownfield” refers to projects that have been expanded from existing LNG import plants typically through the addition of liquefaction and export capabilities.

“Exporting the first commissioning cargo of LNG from Texas demonstrates Cheniere’s ability to deliver projects safely and ahead of schedule, including the first greenfield LNG export facility in the lower 48 states,” said Jack Fusco, Cheniere’s President and CEO. “This milestone further reinforces Cheniere’s position as the leader in U.S. LNG, with a world-scale liquefaction platform that provides significant competitive advantages as we continue to execute on our growth strategy.”

The Corpus Christi liquefaction facility consists of three large-scale LNG production units — or trains — and supporting infrastructure, with an additional seven smaller trains proposed.

The facility’s first train produced first LNG in November and is expected to reach substantial completion in the first quarter of 2019. Train 2 is expected to reach substantial completion in the second half of 2019, and Train 3 in the second half of 2021.

The facility will also feature three LNG storage tanks with capacity of approximately 10.1 billion cubic feet equivalent and two marine berths. The seven smaller trains currently under development would increase the facility’s total expected nominal production capacity to approximately 23 million tonnes per annum (mtpa).

The new $15 billion Corpus Christi terminal marks Cheniere’s second LNG export site, adding to the company’s Sabine Pass facility on Louisiana’s Gulf Coast, and the third such facility in the continental United States, including Dominion Energy’s Cove Point terminal in Maryland.

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