Freeport LNG received approval from the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to site, construct and operate its fourth natural gas liquefaction train at its LNG export facility on Quintana Island near Freeport, Texas.
Approval from the U.S. Department of Energy for the export of Train 4 volumes to non-Free Trade Agreement countries is anticipated later this quarter, the company said in a statement.
Freeport LNG’s Train 4 is expected to add over 5 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of LNG production to its existing project, increasing the total export capability of the 4-train facility to over 20 mtpa.
Approximately 13.5 mtpa of this capacity has been contracted under 20-year tolling agreements to Osaka Gas Trading & Export, JERA Energy America, BP Energy Company, Toshiba America LNG Corporation, and SK E&S LNG, and approximately 0.5 mtpa has been contracted to Trafigura under a 3-year sale and purchase agreement commencing in 2020.
Train 4 operations are anticipated to commence in 2023, the statement reads.
Freeport LNG’s export facility currently consists of three liquefaction trains, with Train 1 scheduled for commercial startup in the third quarter of 2019, and full three-train commercial operations anticipated by mid-2020.