Record US LNG Exports Are Coming In 2025
Plaquemines LNG, Corpus Christi Stage 3 Begin Production, Significantly Boosting US Export Capacity
US liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports soared in December as new export capacity came online. Venture Global reached first LNG production at its second facility, Plaquemines LNG, in Port Sulphur, Louisiana. Cheniere Energy Inc. (Cheniere) announced that it has produced LNG for the first time from Train 1 of the company’s Corpus Christi Stage 3 Liquefaction Project (CCL Stage 3). CCL Stage 3 is located on the La Quinta Ship Channel, along the north shore of Corpus Christi Bay in San Patricio County, Texas
According to data from the London Stock Exchange Group, December 2024 US LNG exports were 8.5 MT, just shy of the all-time record of 8.6 MT from December 2023 and 9% higher than 7.75 MT in November 2024. All told, 2024 LNG exports were 88.3 MT, 4.5% higher than 84.5 MT in 2023.
Plaquemines LNG
Venture Global’s Plaquemines LNG has a nameplate capacity of 20 MTPA. LNG production was achieved 30 months after its initial final investment decision (FID) for Phase 1 of the project, making Plaquemines LNG and Venture Global’s other main project, Calcasieu Pass, the two fastest greenfield projects to reach first production, according to Venture Global.
In March 2024, Venture Global announced an FID on Plaquemines LNG Phase 2. Phase 2 brought in US$7.8 billion in additional financing for a total project budget of US$21 billion. The 630-acre (255-ha) site features 1.3 miles (2 km) of river frontage and is located about 20 miles (32 km) south of New Orleans (see “126 LNG Trains,” September 2023 Gas Compression Magazine, p. 29).
In 2023, Venture Global made the goal to be begin producing LNG in 2024. It came down to the wire, but on December 14, first gas from Plaquemines LNG allowed Venture Global to make good on its promise. However, Phase 2 coming online in 2025 is unlikely at this point given the timing of Phase 1’s completion.
Phase 1 will produce and export LNG while construction and commissioning continues for the remainder of the project’s 36 trains and associated facilities. Venture Global’s modular approach using midscale liquefaction trains and refrigerant compressor skids allows the company to phase in projects over time and easily expand existing projects while limiting production shutdowns.
Venture Global’s modular approach centers around an efficient manufacturing process. Each 0.626-MTPA train is fabricated off-site and delivered fully assembled. Each block consists of two trains and features a cold box that uses single mixed-refrigerate technology. The refrigerant compressors are driven by electric motors. According to Venture Global, controlled factory settings significantly decrease construction labor and increase site safety, execution quality, and on-time delivery. Calcasieu Pass LNG, Plaquemines LNG, and the company’s two other projects, CP2 LNG and Delta LNG, are all located in Louisiana and feature the same general buildouts, on-site power systems, train sizes, and storage tanks. The achievement of first LNG at Plaquemines LNG showcases how Venture Global is using its success at Calcasieu Pass LNG as a blueprint for its other projects.
In September 2023, Venture Global and Baker Hughes executed an expanded master equipment supply agreement for the delivery of additional liquefaction train systems and power island systems for Venture Global’s future LNG export projects. With the help of Baker Hughes, the company now expects to increase LNG nameplate export capacity production to more than 100 MTPA.
Corpus Christi Stage 3 Liquefaction Project
Cheniere is continuing the commissioning process of CCL Stage 3. The company expects substantial completion of Train 1 to be achieved at the end of the first quarter of 2025, over six months ahead of the guaranteed completion date. Upon substantial completion, Bechtel Energy Inc. (Bechtel) will transfer care, custody, and control of the completed train to Cheniere. Bechtel is handling engineering, procurement, and construction services for the project.
Full notice to proceed on CCL Stage 3 was issued to Bechtel by Cheniere in June 2022. CCL Stage 3 consists of seven midscale trains powered by technology developed by Chart Industries with motor driven refrigeration compressors. Train 1 has an expected total production capacity of over 10 MTPA of LNG.
As of November 30, 2024, overall project completion for CCL Stage 3 was 75.9%, which reflects engineering 96.8% complete, procurement 97.2% complete, subcontract work 87.7% complete, and construction 39.2% complete.
Upon substantial completion of all seven trains of CCL Stage 3, the expected total production capacity of the Corpus Christi Liquefaction facility will be over 25 MTPA of LNG. CCL Midscale Trains 8 & 9 are being developed next to CCL Stage 3 and are expected to add an additional 3 MTPA to Cheniere’s export capacity, bringing Corpus Christi Liquefaction’s total capacity to 28 MTPA.
Cheniere has around 55 MTPA of total export capacity, making it by far the largest US LNG exporter. In February 2022, Cheniere completed all six liquefaction trains at Sabine Pass LNG. Sabine Pass has around 30 MTPA of export capacity.
As of October 25, 2024, Cheniere has delivered approximately 3720 cumulative LNG cargoes totaling over 255 million tonnes of LNG that was produced, loaded, and exported from Cheniere liquefaction projects.
During the first nine months of 2024, Cheniere exported 1723 TBtu of LNG from its liquefaction projects. For context, the company shipped 1684 TBtu of LNG in the first nine months of 2023 and 1705 TBtu in the first nine months of 2022.
With CCL Stage 3 coming online, Cheniere should see significantly higher export volumes in 2025 after relatively stagnant volumes for the last three years.
