Cheniere wants more time for Corpus Christi expansion
US LNG exporter Cheniere Energy said strains from the pandemic prompted it to ask federal regulators, in a December 7 filing, for an extension to its plans to expand its Corpus Christi complex in Texas.
Cheniere operates three 5mn metric tons/year trains at Corpus Christi, which boasts a production capacity of 15mn metric tons/year of LNG, and since early 2020 has been doing early site work to support a Stage 3 expansion, which would involve seven mid-scale trains with a total capacity of 11.45mn mt/yr and one additional storage tank.
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The US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) authorised early works in January and February last year. While Cheniere began the work almost immediately, it was forced to suspend activity in March 2020, in part due to Covid-19 restrictions.
In its filing with the commission, Cheniere said the onset and duration of the Covid-19 pandemic had an adverse impact on planning and precluded a “timely” final investment decision (FID) on Stage 3.
“This delay in full commercialisation has resulted in the need for additional time to construct and place the Stage 3 project in service,” Cheniere said in its filing. FERC approved the expansion project in November 2019 and gave Cheniere five years to complete it; it's now asking for an extension to June 30, 2027.
Cheniere said that, assuming FID in June 2022 and a 60-month construction period, Stage 3 would be available for service by June 2027.