Golden Pass LNG, a joint venture of Qatar Petroleum and Exxon Mobil, is seeking approval from U.S. federal energy regulators to boost capacity at its $10 billion export facility in Texas.
The company has asked FERC to raise capacity at its plant under construction by 2.5 mtpa to a total of 18.1 mtpa.
The current project includes the construction of three liquefaction trains with each unit having a 5.2 mtpa capacity.
Should FERC approve the increase, each train will be capable of producing about 6 mtpa of LNG. This equals to 0.79 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) of natural gas.
The company said on Monday it would achieve the addition by “production efficiencies”.
This means it will not require any equipment modifications or environmental permit adjustments, according to a report by Reuters.
“Because the capacity increase does not involve additions or adjustments to the permitted facilities, it would not result in any construction or environmental impacts beyond those previously identified” by FERC, Golden Pass said.
LNG giant Qatar Petroleum owns a 70 percent stake in the project while U.S. major Exxon Mobil has a 30 percent share.
It aims to start the first train in 2024 with the second unit expected to follow six-to-eight months after that.
A joint venture consisting of Chiyoda, McDermott, and Zachry Group is responsible for the construction of the LNG export project.
Siemens Gas and Power has also recently won a contract from the venture to supply three boil-off gas compressor trains
