Golden Pass LNG Seeks Capacity Expansion

Golden Pass LNG, a venture of Qatar Petroleum and ExxonMobil, has asked the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Ferc) for authorisations to expand LNG capacity at the Texas facility to 18.1mn mt/yr from 15.6mn mt/yr.

Golden Pass filed the application with Ferc on May 21; the agency posted notice of the application on May 28.

The expansion will not require any new facilities at the brownfield project but is merely a recognition that the facilities originally applied for in 2014 and approved by the commission in 2016 can produce more LNG than first anticipated.

“Golden Pass LNG has determined, based on the original design submitted with its July 2014 application, that the total LNG production capacity of its permitted export facilities is substantially higher than the capacity authorization requested, without any modifications to the facilities as previously approved by the Commission,” Golden Pass says in its application. “The capacity increase is based on, among other things, capturing the design margins, richer feed-gas composition, and maintenance processes that promote production efficiencies.”

ExxonMobil and Qatar Petroleum made the final investment decision on the three train, $10bn project in February 2019, and construction began in Q1 2019 on a site adjacent to and integrated with the existing Golden Pass import terminal on the Port Arthur Ship Channel in south Texas. The liquefaction facilities are expected to enter service in 2024.

Golden Pass will seek amended US Department of Energy export approvals to match the new capacity of the terminal, pending Ferc approval.