EIA sees NorthAm LNG capacity doubling through 2027
The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) said November 13 it expects to see North American LNG capacity more than double through 2027, aided by the first export capacity in both Canada and Mexico.
By the end of 2027, the EIA expects total LNG capacity in the US, Canada and Mexico to reach 24.3bn ft3/day, up from 11.4bn ft3/day in 2023, as Canada adds 2.1bn ft3/day, Mexico contributes 1.1bn ft3/day and the US adds 9.7bn ft3/day.
In Canada, the 14mn tonnes/year (1.8bn ft3/day) LNG Canada facility at Kitimat, on BC’s northern coast, is on track to deliver its first cargoes in mid-2025, while the smaller 2.1mn tonnes/year (300mn ft3/day) Woodfibre LNG facility at Squamish, north of Vancouver, is expected to begin service in 2027.
In Mexico, exports from the New Fortress Energy (NFE) Fast LNG Altamira terminal are expected to begin from the first 180mn ft3/day offshore component in December 2023, while exports from two onshore units (360mn ft3/day total) are expected in 2025, pending the potential need for a new export permit from the US Department of Energy.
The EIA said a 180mn ft3/day Fast LNG unit was expected to begin producing from the deep-water Lakach field in the Gulf of Mexico in 2026, but the future of that project is uncertain after state-owned Pemex and NFE terminated a deal to develop the 900bn ft3/day field, 90 km offshore Veracruz. Pemex is said to be in discussions with other companies to continue the project.
On Mexico’s Pacific Coast, in Baja California, Sempra Infrastructure and TotalEnergies are building Phase 1 of their Energia Costa Azul (ECA) liquefaction terminal on the site of an existing regasification facility. The 400mn ft3/day first phase of ECA is expected to enter commercial operations in 2025, while the 1.6bn ft3/day second phase is awaiting a final investment decision.
And on the US Gulf Coast in Texas and Louisiana, five LNG export facilities – Golden Pass, Plaquemines, Corpus Christi Stage 3, Rio Grande and Port Arthur – are now under construction. Golden Pass LNG, a joint venture of ExxonMobil and QatarGas, is expected to begin producing from the first two 800mn ft3/day trains in Texas in 2024, with a third train to follow in Q1 2025, while Venture Global’s Plaquemines LNG plant in Louisiana is expected to be online with a 1.6bn ft3/day first phase by the end of 2024.