US LNG producer Cheniere has completed its 11.45mn t/yr (1.5bn ft³/d) stage 3 expansion at Corpus Christi LNG in south Texas.
Cheniere and contractor Bechtel began building seven mid-scale liquefaction trains at the existing 17.4mn t/yr export terminal in June 2022 and have been bringing the trains into commercial service since train 1 began producing LNG in late 2024.
The completion of the seventh train on 28 August adds incremental supply to the global market, which has effectively lost about one-fifth of supplies because of the de facto closure of the strait of Hormuz. At full capacity, train 7 can produce about 1.7 cargoes per month, assuming a standard 72,000t load.
Two other trains, each with the same capacity, were completed since the start of the US-Iran war in late February, with trains 5 and 6 coming on line in late March and mid-June, respectively.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in May approved Cheniere's request to raise production from the expansion to 14mn t/yr, but the company has not received a corresponding adjustment under its export licenses with the Department of Energy.
The company is also constructing another 5mn t/yr capacity at Corpus Christi with trains 8-9, which had a separate final investment decision in June 2025. Cheniere anticipates completing that expansion by the end of 2028.
