US LNG exporting giant Cheniere is expecting to complete the expansion phase at its Corpus Christi plant in Texas ahead of schedule, according to the company’s CEO Jack Fusco.
Cheniere’s Corpus Christi liquefaction plant now consists of three operational trains with each having a capacity of about 5 mtpa.
In June last year, Cheniere took a final investment decision on the Corpus Christi Stage 3 expansion project worth about $8 billion and Bechtel officially started construction on the project in October.
The project includes building seven midscale trains, each with an expected liquefaction capacity of about 1.49 mtpa.
Deliveries are expected to begin in 2025 with full production in 2027.
Fusco told analysts during Cheniere’s second-quarter earnings call last week that Bechtel “continues to progress Corpus Christi Stage 3 well ahead of schedule, increasing my optimism for that project being completed ahead of the guaranteed date.”
“Certain construction activities on Stage 3 are taking place ahead of plan, and I remain optimistic on schedule outperformance and potentially having more LNG volumes in 2025, and possibly the entire seven-train project complete by the end of 2026,” the CEO said.
Moreover, Fusco said that construction activities continue to ramp up and the project is 38.1 percent complete and there are now 1,000 personnel on site.
“In fact, during the second quarter, the first steel structure was erected, an important milestone for Stage 3,” he said.
He told analysts that on Cheniere’s next quarterly call, the company will provide “a much more fulfilling update on the schedule.”