Cheniere Cleared to Export LNG from Corpus Christi

The US Energy Department has issued a final authorization for Cheniere Energy’s Corpus Christi Liquefaction Project (Corpus Christi) to export domestically produced liquefied natural gas (LNG) to countries that do not have a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States.

The Corpus Christi Liquefaction Project in Corpus Christi, Texas is authorized to export LNG up to the equivalent of 2.1 billion standard cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of natural gas for a period of 20 years.

Corpus Christi LNG is located on 612 acres on the northern coast of the Corpus Christi Bay, along the La Quinta Ship Channel, a deepwater ship channel dredged to 45 feet. The terminal is located 14.3 nautical miles from the open water and 16 nautical miles from the outer buoy. The terminal design is almost identical to the first phase of Sabine Pass LNG, with two berths large enough to accommodate the QMax class vessel.

The terminal will have three 160,000 m3 LNG tanks capable of storing 10.1 Bcf, and will have a maximum continuous regasification rate of 2.6 Bcf/d. Corpus Christi LNG plans to have three dedicated tugs stationed at the terminal and be capable of receiving and unloading up to 300 LNG vessels per year, each regular carrier taking approximately 10 to 12 hours to unload. The terminal is expected to be in service by 2018.

US federal law generally requires approval of natural gas exports to countries that have an FTA with the United States. For countries that do not have an FTA with the United States, the Natural Gas Act directs the Department of Energy to grant export authorizations unless the Department finds that the proposed exports ”will not be consistent with the public interest.”

In its review, the Department considered the economic, energy security, and environmental impacts and determined that exports at a rate of up to 2.1 Bcf/d for a period of 20 years was not inconsistent with the public interest.