Corpus Christi Liquefaction

~15mtpa
LNG PRODUCTION CAPACITY
~870
CARGOES PRODUCED
3
TRAINS IN OPERATION
2018
FIRST LNG

Quick facts

Site: 1,000+ acres
Access:
45’ channel depth
Proximity:
15 nautical miles from coast
Berths:
2 docks
Storage:
3 tanks (~10 Bcfe)
Trains operating:
3
In service:
2019
Personnel:
~750

Overview

In South Texas, the first greenfield LNG export facility in the contiguous United States stands as an example of Cheniere’s history of operational excellence, delivering new infrastructure ahead of schedule and producing energy safely and reliably. With access to abundant, low-cost natural gas and a proposed and fully permitted expansion project, the Corpus Christi Liquefaction facility also provides Cheniere potential for growth as the world requires new sources of cleaner energy solutions.

Cheniere’s 1,000+ acre Corpus Christi Liquefaction facility (CCL) is located in the Corpus Christi Bay in San Patricio County, Texas, where energy infrastructure and estuaries coexist. CCL currently has three fully operational liquefaction units — or trains.” All three trains were completed ahead of schedule and within budget, and each train is designed to produce ~5 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of LNG. 

Construction of this liquefaction project was a massive undertaking. If we added up each of the components of the three trains currently operating, we would need approximately 250,000 cubic meters of concrete, 50,000 tonnes of structural steel, 340 kilometers of pipe and 3,800 kilometers of electrical cable. And because of the biodiversity of CCL’s location, as part of our development project, we facilitated the permitting, design and construction of more than $8 million of breakwater protection projects.

The facility’s three containment tanks each have the capacity to store 160,000 cubic meters of LNG — and while we’d never put them there, they are each large enough to fit a 747 airliner. The facility’s two berths have the capacity to receive the world’s largest LNG carrier, the Q-Max, which is 344.4 meters long with a cargo capacity of 266,000 cubic meters of LNG.

Corpus Christi Stage 3 will consist of seven ​“midscale” trains that will add approximately 10+ mtpa of production capacity, bringing CCL’s total nominal capacity to more than 25 mtpa. In June 2022, we announced a positive Final Investment Decision (FID) and issued full notice to proceed to Bechtel to continue construction on CCL Stage 3 which had begun earlier in the year under a limited notice to proceed. 

The Corpus Christi site is built at ~25’ above sea level, and is strategically situated for LNG exports given its large acreage position, interconnections with multiple interstate and intrastate pipeline systems and its premier marine access, located less than 15 miles from the coast. CCL has the ability to access natural gas from some of the most prolific production regions in the country, including the Permian Basin. The approximately 22-mile, 48” Cheniere Corpus Christi Pipeline connects CCL to several interstate and intrastate pipelines, giving the facility access to robust gas resources. Cheniere also has access to an extensive pipeline network through long-term transportation agreements. CCL works with dozens of natural gas producers and infrastructure companies to purchase natural gas and reliably transport the supply to the terminal.

Corpus Christi expansion opportunities

Corpus Christi Stage 3 project

We are constructing an expansion adjacent to the CCL project for up to seven midscale trains with an expected total production capacity of approximately 10 mtpa of LNG. This project is fully permitted. In June 2022, we announced a positive Final Investment Decision and issued full notice to proceed to Bechtel to continue construction on CCL Stage 3, which began earlier in the year under limited notice to proceed.

Cheniere Corpus Christi Pipeline, L.P. (“CCPL”) proposes to construct a new associated bi-directional interstate natural gas pipeline and related facilities to deliver feed gas to the Corpus Christi Stage 3 LNG facilities. This pipeline was approved by FERC in docket number CP12-508-000.

Corpus Christi Liquefaction Midscale Trains 8 & 9 Project 

The proposed Project would expand the previously approved Liquefaction Project and Stage 3 Project facilities (approved in Docket Nos. CP12-507-000 and CP18-512-000, respectively). The Project consists of: 

  • Two midscale liquefaction trains
  • Refrigerant, end-flash and boil-off gas facilities
  • Appurtenant connecting facilities and piping, and
  • An increase in CCL’s previously approved ship loading rates

Feed gas for the Project would be transported to the CCL Terminal by the existing Corpus Christi Pipeline system and additional pipelines to be constructed in the future, potentially including the Stage 3 Pipeline previously reviewed as part of the Stage 3 Project and a non-jurisdictional intrastate pipeline intended to improve security and reliability of gas supply to the overall, integrated CCL Terminal.

FERC is the lead federal agency for the Project. CCL initiated the pre-filing process in August 2022 and filed a formal application with FERC in March 2023. CCL has requested an Order from FERC by September 2024.

Have a question or comment? You can reach us at 888-371-3606 or community@cheniere.com.

You are invited to participate in the FERC process. Additional information can be found at the below websites.

Documentation