Cheniere starts permitting process for Sabine Pass LNG expansion

Cheniere Energy Partners, a subsidiary of Cheniere Energy, has initiated permitting process for the expansion of LNG export capacity at the Sabine Pass terminal located in Cameron Parish, Louisiana.

Cheniere announced on 23 February that the pre-filing review process has been initiated under the National Environmental Policy Act with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for the proposed Sabine Pass Stage 5 expansion project adjacent to the existing Sabine Pass liquefaction project.

The expansion is being designed for a total production capacity of approximately 20 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of LNG.

It will include up to three large-scale liquefaction trains, each with a production capacity of approximately 6.5 mtpa of LNG, a boil-off-gas re-liquefaction unit with an approximate production capacity of 0.75 mtpa of LNG, and two 220,000 m3 LNG storage tanks. The expansion project is being designed with accommodations for waste heat recovery as well as carbon capture from acid gas removal units.

This expansion is expected to benefit from the significant existing infrastructure at the Sabine Pass and contemplates various enhancements to its current capabilities, including optimized ship loading at the existing marine facilities. Feed gas related to the expansion is expected to be transported via a combination of new and existing pipelines currently supplying the project.

Cheniere Partners has engaged Houston-based Bechtel Energy to complete a front-end engineering and design (FEED) study of the Sabine Pass expansion project.

“As the first and largest LNG export facility in the Lower 48, Sabine Pass has pioneered an industry critical to supplying reliable, flexible, and cleaner-burning natural gas to markets and customers around the world, and we look forward to significantly growing those capabilities through the Sabine Pass expansion project”, said Jack Fusco, Chairman, President and CEO of Cheniere Partners.

“The expansion project is being designed to leverage the infrastructure platform we’ve built at Sabine Pass to deliver economically advantaged incremental LNG capacity in a safe and environmentally responsible manner. We are committed to developing the SPL expansion project utilizing the same rigorous and financially disciplined approach to project development and capital investment that’s become synonymous with the Cheniere brand.”

The Sabine Pass LNG terminal consists of six liquefaction trains with a total production capacity of approximately 30 million tonnes per annum of LNG. It also has operational regasification facilities that include five LNG storage tanks, vaporizers, and three marine berths.