Cheniere Energy: Corpus Christi LNG Terminal 65.6% Complete

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--In its latest monthly report to the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Cheniere Energy Incorporated (Houston, Texas) says that its Corpus Christi, Texas, liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal has progressed to 65.6% completion, against planned completion of 65.3%, and that activities planned for June are on track.

Cheniere remains the only active LNG exporter in the United States. The company has been shipping LNG from its Sabine Pass LNG terminal in Louisiana since early last year. According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), from February 2016 to April 2017, the U.S. shipped LNG to 21 countries, with Mexico receiving the highest volume at 80.3 million cubic feet of natural gas, followed in a distant second by Chile, at 41.2 million cubic feet of gas.

Two LNG trains are under construction at Cheniere's Corpus Christi site, each of which will produce 4.5 million tons per year of LNG for export. The combined cost to construct the two trains is approximately $11 billion. Construction began in the first half of 2015 and is expected to be completed in the second half of 2018 for Train 1 and the first half of 2019 for Train 2. For more information, see Industrial Info's project reports on Train 1 and Train 2.

Progress on the project is broken down as follows:

• Engineering: 100% complete
• Procurement: 86.9% complete
• Subcontract construction work: 34.2 % complete
• Direct hire construction work: 37% complete

Bechtel Group Incorporated (San Francisco, California) is acting as engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) firm on the project. Construction of a third train is expected to commence shortly, followed by a possible two additional trains. For more information, see Industrial Info's project reports on Corpus Christi Train 3, Train 4 and Train 5.

Industrial Info is tracking more than 170 active LNG projects in the U.S., valued at $267.5 billion, mostly along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast. For more information, see May 19, 2017, article - LNG Helps Lead Louisiana to $19.7 Billion in Planned Second-Half 2017 Project Starts. Not all of these projects will make it to the construction stage, particularly as the current global LNG market is viewed as being oversupplied by most experts, driving down LNG spot prices.

The larger projects most likely to move forward are those that have received permission from FERC to site, construct and operate the facility, and the DOE to export LNG countries without a free trade agreement with the U.S. Among these projects is Sempra Energy's (NYSE:SRE) (San Diego, California) $10 billion LNG liquefaction and export terminal in Hackberry, Louisiana. The project will produce 15 million tons per year of LNG from three 5 million-ton-per-year production trains. Construction on the project kicked off in late 2014 and is expected to be completed early next year. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

Outside of the U.S. Gulf Coast region, construction of Dominion Energy Incorporated's (NYSE:D) (Richmond, Virginia) Cove Point LNG facility in Lusby, Maryland, kicked off in late 2014 and is expected to be completed late this year. The facility will have a production capacity of 5.25 million tons per year. Kiewit Corporation (Omaha, Nebraska) is acting as EPC firm on the project. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

Currently, no U.S. LNG facilities can be approved for construction by FERC, which remains without a quorum for project approval. For more information, see June 12, 2017, article - FERC Eyes Restoration of Quorum, Resumption of Rulings.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com.