U.S. energy player Cheniere Energy has taken a final investment decision (FID) for the project proposing to expand its liquefied natural gas (LNG) project on the La Quinta Ship Channel in South Texas .
With a positive FID for the Corpus Christi Midscale Trains 8 & 9 and debottlenecking project taken, Cheniere has now issued full notice to proceed to Bechtel Energy for the construction of the two trains next to the Corpus Christi Stage 3 project (CCL Stage 3).
Trains 8 & 9 are expected to have a total liquefaction capacity of over 3 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of LNG, and other debottlenecking infrastructure will be built as part of the project. Cheniere believes this will contribute to the Corpus Christi LNG terminal reaching over 30 mtpa in total liquefaction capacity later this decade.
“We are pleased to announce the FID of CCL Midscale Trains 8 & 9 today, an important milestone for Cheniere as we continue to accretively grow our world-class infrastructure platform to over 60 mtpa,” said Jack Fusco , Cheniere’s President and Chief Executive Officer.
“I would like to recognize the Cheniere team, our EPC partner Bechtel, our long-term customers and the regulatory agencies which govern our projects for the demonstrated teamwork, commitment and execution, all of which were critical elements in the successful commercialization and development of CCL Midscale Trains 8 & 9 in adherence to the Cheniere standard.”
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Cheniere announces positive Final Investment Decision on the Corpus Christi Midscale Trains 8 & 9 Project and updated company outlook through 2030. Full details: https://t.co/CRydOBRUB7 pic.twitter.com/jcZaL0DGlU
In addition, Cheniere said it is developing further brownfield liquefaction capacity expansions at both the Corpus Christi and Sabine Pass terminals. The company expects these expansions to be executed in a phased approach, starting with initial single-train expansions at each site. If completed, these would grow Cheniere’s LNG platform to up to approximately 75 mtpa of capacity by the early 2030s.
The Corpus Christi Liquefaction facility has four fully operational trains with an aggregated nominal production capacity of around 16.5 mtpa of LNG.
The U.S. player plans to expand this by adding seven midscale trains that will add more than 10 mtpa of production capacity, bringing CCL’s total permitted capacity to more than 25 mtpa. The first LNG from Train 1 as part of Stage 3 was produced in December 2024, with substantial completion reached in March 2025.
Two additional midscale trains as part of this stage are expected to achieve substantial completion in 2025, and the remaining four in 2026.