NextDecade LLC has received US Department of Energy authorization to export LNG from its proposed Rio Grande LNG liquefaction plant in Brownsville, Tex., to Free-Trade Agreement countries. DOE authorized export of 27 million tonnes/year (tpy) of LNG—equivalent to about 3.6 bcfd of natural gas—for a 30-year term subject to ongoing regulatory approvals.
NextDecade announced in November 2015 it had signed nonbinding agreements for the sale of 14 million tpy of LNG to customers in Asia and Europe. The company says it now has agreements in place for 30 million tpy.
NextDecade expects to receive US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approval for Rio Grande LNG in 2017 with initial LNG exports shipping by yearend 2020.
CB&I is performing front-end engineering design and engineering, procurement, and construction of the project, which includes as many as six 4.5 million-tpy liquefaction trains (OGJ Online, May 14, 2015).