American liquefied natural gas (LNG) giant Cheniere Energy said in a statement on Monday that its first LNG train is completed in the Corpus Christi facility in the state of Texas.
The construction and engineering firm Bechtel completed Train 1 on Feb. 28, and turned over its custody and control to Cheniere Energy, according to the statement.
"Train 1 at Corpus Christi has achieved substantial completion, becoming the first liquefaction train placed into operation at a greenfield liquefaction facility in the lower 48 states," Cheniere President and CEO Jack Fusco said in the statement.
Bechtel Chairman and CEO Brendan Bechtel said "It was three years ago that we were able to support Cheniere’s entry into the LNG export market with Train 1 at the Sabine Pass Liquefaction project."
"With five trains now completed and operating well ahead of schedule, we are excited to continue working alongside Cheniere to deliver their next wave of trains with the reliability of outcome that Cheniere and Bechtel have become known for delivering," he added.
Train 1 is one of the three LNG trains in Cheniere's Corpus Christi facility in which Bechtel won the contract for. The three trains will have a total production capacity of up to 13.5 million tonnes per annum (mtpa), according to Cheniere's website.
The plans for the project also include up to seven mid-scale trains that could have a total production capacity of up to 9.5 mtpa of LNG.
Cheniere's Sabine Pass facility in the state of Louisiana plans to have a total of six trains with an expected LNG production capacity of 27 mtpa.
The U.S.' Federal Energy Regulatory Commission gave permission to Cheniere on March 1 to put Train 1 in Corpus Christi into commercial service and begin export activities.
By Ovunc Kutlu
Anadolu Agency