Cheniere Energy Boosts U.S. LNG Capacity

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Written by Daniel Graeber for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Federal data show the U.S. shipped out liquefied natural gas (LNG) to more than two dozen countries last year, a level supported by the start of the third stage of the Corpus Christi export facility.

The U.S. is easily the largest exporter of LNG in the world by volume. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the data arm of the U.S. Department of Energy, reported that the daily rate of LNG exports in October, the last full month for which the government has data, were the second-highest level since record-keeping began in 1997.

That month, the EIA found, the U.S. exported on average 12.1 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of gas in the liquid form to 32 separate countries. Exports in 2023 averaged 11.9 Bcf/d, which marked a 12% increase from the prior year.

Likely due to its busy port at Rotterdam, the Netherlands is typically the largest destination for U.S.-sourced LNG. Even more volumes are expected, now that operations began at the new Plaquemines export facility in Louisiana and the launch of the third stage of the Corpus Christi plant in Texas.

Last week, Venture Global LNG (Arlington, Virginia) announced it loaded its Venture Global Bayou vessel from its Plaquemines facility in Louisiana for a debut voyage to Germany. The shipment came roughly two weeks after data from IIR Energy confirmed the facility began drawing in more than 100 million cubic feet of natural gas per day for liquefaction operations.

On Monday, Cheniere Energy Incorporated (NYSE:LNG) (Houston, Texas) announced the first batch of LNG was produced from the third stage of its export facility in Corpus Christi. The third stage consists of seven mid-scale trains, or liquefaction plants. Once completed, those seven trains could produce as much as 10 million metric tons of LNG per year (mtpa).

That, in turn, would put the plant's total capacity at 25 mtpa of LNG as commissioning ramps up over the next six months, the company said.

Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Production Project Database can learn more by viewing the project report.

By September, Cheniere had produced and loaded its 1,000th cargo for LNG exports from Corpus Christi. Operations began in 2018. Five of the 25 vessels laden with LNG that left U.S. export terminals over the seven-day period ending December 18 were loaded at Corpus Christi.

The facility is fed by five separate natural gas pipelines, the largest of which is Kinder Morgan Incorporated's (NYSE:KMI) (Houston) 3,800-mile Tejas Pipeline.

Total LNG exports are expected to post a 12 Bcf/d average for 2024, unchanged from 2023 levels. New infrastructure like Cheniere's could bring that closer to 14 Bcf/d this year.

Outgoing President Joe Biden enacted an order, later suspended by the courts, to pause new LNG terminals while the administration studied the impact on the environment. Methane is the main component of natural gas, but it's also a potent greenhouse gas with a warming potential far greater than that of carbon dioxide.

In October, Cheniere said it would voluntarily work to control methane emission from its liquefaction facilities.

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