The LNG export terminal in Texas, which is being built in three stages, will have a total capacity of 23mtpa

Bechtel Corpus Christi

Image: Bechtel delivered first cargo from Train 2 of the Corpus Christi Liquefaction Project for customer Cheniere Energy. Photo: courtesy of Bechtel.

Cheniere Energy said that the second liquefaction train at the $15bn (£11.92bn) Corpus Christi Liquefaction Project in Texas has achieved completion of the first commissioning cargo with liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Train 2 of the LNG export terminal in Corpus Christi is scheduled to be commissioned in the third quarter of this year. In March 2019, train 1 of the Corpus Christi Liquefaction Project entered into service.

Construction on train 1 and train 2 began in May 2015 on the La Quinta Channel on the northeast side of Corpus Christi Bay located in San Patricio County.

Corpus Christi Liquefaction Project details

The Corpus Christi Liquefaction Project, which will be supplied with feed gas supply from the Eagle Ford Shale, is being designed to accommodate three trains with expected total nominal production capacity of up to 13.5 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of LNG.

In May 2018, Cheniere Energy approved construction of train 3, as part of the second stage of the project, which is scheduled to enter into operations in 2021. Bechtel is the design, construction and commissioning contractor for the three LNG trains, which will be based on the ConocoPhillips Optimized Cascade process.

Each of the three trains has a production capacity of around 4.5mtpa of LNG.

Cheniere Energy engineering and construction senior vice president David Craft said:
“We are pleased to have achieved another key milestone, LNG First Cargo, on the Corpus Christi Liquefaction Train 2, as part of the Commissioning and Startup process. This is the result of thoughtful planning and execution, and excellent teamwork with Bechtel.”

In the third stage of the Corpus Christi Liquefaction Project, up to seven midscale liquefaction trains will be developed adjacent to the three main trains. The total expected production capacity of the seven midscale trains will be nearly 9.5mtpa of LNG.

Bechtel said that through its partnership with Cheniere Energy, it has delivered seven LNG trains till date at two sites on the US Gulf Coast since 2015.

Bechtel LNG general manager Darren Mort said: “The collaboration between Cheniere and Bechtel has been critical in delivering success on these projects

“This milestone shows once again that our integrated, direct-hire EPC model and our philosophy of ‘design it once and build it many times’ means lower cost, shorter delivery schedules, and greater certainty of outcome for our customers.”