In February 2025, Cheniere Energy announced the production of the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo from the Corpus Christi Stage 3 expansion of its existing LNG export facility in Texas. This expansion began producing LNG in December 2024.
The initiation of LNG exports from Corpus Christi Stage 3 follows shortly after the commencement of exports from another U.S. facility, the Plaquemines LNG Phase 1, which also started operations in December. The Corpus Christi Stage 3 facility is situated adjacent to the current Corpus Christi LNG terminal in San Patricio County, Texas.
It includes seven midscale trains designed to have a combined nominal capacity of 1.3 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) and a peak capacity of 1.5 Bcf/d. According to Cheniere Energy, the first three midscale trains of Corpus Christi Stage 3 are scheduled for startup in 2025, while the remaining four trains are expected to be operational in 2026.
Upon full operation of all seven trains, the total nominal capacity of the facility will rise to 3.1 Bcf/d, with a peak capacity of 3.9 Bcf/d. This capacity would position the Corpus Christi Stage 3 facility as the second largest LNG export facility in the United States, following the Sabine Pass LNG facility, which has a nominal capacity of 3.6 Bcf/d and a peak capacity of 4.6 Bcf/d.