EIA: North American LNG Exports to Double Through 2027

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) recently reported that it expects North American exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to more than double from the current 11.4 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) to 24.3 Bcf/d by the end of 2027. During this period, Mexico and Canada will see their first LNG export terminals begin operations, and new liquefaction units will be added to the U.S.' existing capacity.

The EIA forecasts by the end of 2027, Canada will have added 2.1 Bcf/d of export capacity, Mexico 1.1 Bcf/d, and the U.S. 9.7 Bcf/d of additional capacity.

Canada
Canada's estimated 2.1 Bcf/d of new LNG export capacity comes primarily from LNG Canada (Kitimat, British Columbia), a consortium led by Shell plc (NYSE:SHEL) (London, England) that is well underway with one of the largest infrastructure investments in Canada's history in Kitimat. Construction on the company's LNG production facility began in 2019 and was slowed by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic but rapidly regained pace when the situation normalized. The plant will include two trains with a combined production capacity of 1.8 Bcf/d. The project is expected to be completed early next year. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Production Project Database can click here for more details.

Toward the end of last month, TC Energy Corporation (NYSE:TRP) (Calgary, Alberta) announced that all of the pipe has been put in place for its Coastal GasLink Pipeline, which will supply gas to LNG Canada's project. For more information, see November 1, 2023, article - All Pipe in Ground for TC Energy's Coastal GasLink Pipeline.

Expected to provide the remainder of Canada's LNG exports by 2027 is the Woodfibre LNG project in Squamish, British Columbia. The facility, being built at the site of an old pulp mill, will have two trains that will provide a combined estimated capacity of 0.3 Bcf/d. Subscribers can click here for more information on the project.

Mexico
Mexico is expected to grow LNG export capacity to 1.1 Bcf/d through three projects. The largest of these will be supplied with natural gas from the Permian Basin and is being developed by Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) (San Diego, California). The Costa Azul plant in Baja California is a former import terminal. Sempra is starting the project with one export train that will provide 3.25 million metric tons per year of export capacity, with plans in place to add another two trains, each with a production capacity of 6 million tons per year, by the end of 2027. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the reports on the initial project and the planned expansion.

U.S.
Five LNG export projects are underway in the U.S., which will add a combined 9.7 Bcf/d of export capacity by 2027. Two of these are on track to commence operations next year: the Golden Pass LNG development in Texas and the Plaquemines plant in Louisiana. The Golden Pass project is being developed by Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) (Irving, Texas) and QatarEnergy (Doha, Qatar), which began construction on the first train in 2019. Work on another 6 million-ton-per-year train began a few years later. In 2024, the two trains will provide 12 million tons per year of export capacity. Construction of a third train kicked off shortly after work on Train 2 commenced. This train, expected to be completed in 2025, will provide another 6 million tons per year of production capacity. Subscribers can click here for related reports.

Like the Golden Pass project, Venture Global LNG's (Arlington, Virginia) Plaquemines LNG project in Louisiana is being constructed in stages, with the first stage expected to come online next year. This phase will provide nominal capacity of 1.3 Bcf/d. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the project reports on Phase I and Phase II.

Also expected to add new U.S. LNG export capacity of 9.7 Bcf/d by 2027 are:

• Cheniere Energy Incorporated's Corpus Christi Stage III project in Texas. (See project report).
• NextDecade Corporation's (NASDAQ:NEXT) (Houston, Texas) Rio Grande project near Brownsville, Texas. (See project reports on Train 1, Train 2 and Train 3).
• Sempra's Port Arthur plant in Texas. (See project reports on Train 1 and Train 2).

Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Production Project Database can click here to view reports for all of the projects discussed in this article and click here for the related plant profiles.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).