US LNG producer Cheniere filed its formal application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) this week for a proposed 24mn t/yr expansion at its 28.9mn t/yr (3.9bn ft³/d) Corpus Christi LNG export terminal in south Texas.
The expansion would add four liquefaction trains each with 6mn t/yr of capacity, two 220,000m³ storage tanks and a third marine berth. The project, called stage 4, would also include a new 2.75bn ft³/d pipeline alongside the existing same-sized Corpus Christi pipeline and a second compressor station near Sinton.
Cheniere asked FERC to authorize the expansion by May 2027, with the intention to start construction in the third quarter of 2027 and begin commissioning in early 2032.
Company executives told investors last year that they plan to permit as much as possible under President Donald Trump's administration but will maintain the standard of selling 90pc of capacity before proceeding.
The stage 4 project filing comes as Cheniere ramps up it 11.5mn t/yr stage 3 expansion, which adds seven midscale trains to the existing 17.4mn t/yr terminal. The company brought four of those trains into service last year and plans to commission trains 5-7 this year. Cheniere also began construction of trains 8-9 last June, which along with debottlenecking will add 5mn t/yr.
Cheniere also has plans for a 20mn t/yr expansion at its other facility, the 33mn t/yr Sabine Pass terminal in Louisiana. The company intends to finance that project with a phased approach, with the first adding 7mn t/yr of new capacity.
The first phase of the Sabine Pass expansion is the closest to a financial decision, chief financial officer Zach Davis said in October.
