Cheniere Energy reached substantial completion of the first train at its Corpus Christi Stage 3 liquefaction project in March 2025, marking significant progress on an expansion that will increase the Texas facility’s total production capacity to over 25 million tonnes per annum of LNG.
Stage 3 Progress
The first train of the seven-train Stage 3 expansion achieved substantial completion on March 16, 2025, according to Oil & Gas Journal. Engineering, procurement, and construction partner Bechtel Energy transferred care, custody, and control of Train 1 and associated systems to Cheniere following completion of commissioning.
First LNG production from Train 1 occurred in December 2024, and the first cargo loaded in February 2025. The train reached substantial completion more than six months ahead of the guaranteed completion date.
As of November 30, 2024, overall project completion for Stage 3 stood at 75.9 percent, according to Cheniere’s third quarter 2025 results. Engineering was 96.8 percent complete, procurement 97.2 percent complete, subcontract work 87.7 percent complete, and construction 39.2 percent complete.
About 20 percent of Train 2 systems were in commissioning as of early 2025, with start-up teams beginning the process to bring systems into service, according to Oil & Gas Journal. Trains 1 through 3 are expected to reach substantial completion in 2025.
Cheniere issued full notice to proceed on Stage 3 to Bechtel in June 2022, initiating construction of seven midscale trains with expected total production capacity of over 10 million tonnes per annum of LNG.
Additional Expansion
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved construction of Cheniere’s Midscale Trains 8 and 9 project in March 2025, according to Reuters. Chief Commercial Officer Anatol Feygin announced the approval at an industry conference in Houston.
The two-train expansion, located adjacent to the Stage 3 project, is designed for expected total production capacity of about 3 million tonnes per annum of LNG, according to Oil & Gas Journal.
Cheniere requested in November 2025 that FERC determine whether a 5.5 million tonne per year capacity increase at Stage 3 and Trains 8-9 qualifies for exemption from the commission’s pre-filing procedures, according to Argus Media. The company anticipated filing the uprate application by December 5, 2025.
The uprate would raise the combined capacity of Stage 3 and Trains 8-9 to 22 million tonnes per year, resulting from refinements and optimization during final design and construction, as well as data from trains already producing LNG.
Facility Overview
The Corpus Christi liquefaction facility currently operates three trains completed between 2019 and 2021, with total capacity of approximately 16.5 million tonnes per annum, according to Bechtel. The facility is located on the Texas Gulf Coast near some of the most prolific natural gas producing regions in the country.
Upon substantial completion of all seven Stage 3 trains, the facility’s expected total production capacity will exceed 25 million tonnes per annum of LNG. The 1,000-acre facility contains four existing liquefaction units and the Stage 3 expansion under construction.
Bechtel and Cheniere have worked together for nearly two decades, completing nine LNG trains between Cheniere’s two Gulf Coast facilities. All nine trains were completed ahead of schedule and within project budgets, according to Bechtel.
Market Context
The United States is the world’s largest exporter of LNG, and production from Cheniere’s Stage 3 expansion is expected to maintain U.S. leadership in LNG exports through 2025 and beyond.
Cheniere is the largest U.S. LNG producer, providing gas procurement and transportation, liquefaction, vessel chartering, and LNG delivery services. The company operates one of the largest liquefaction platforms in the world, consisting of the Sabine Pass and Corpus Christi facilities.
The Stage 3 expansion and Trains 8-9 project position Cheniere to meet growing global demand for natural gas as an energy source. The facility’s location on the Texas Gulf Coast provides direct access to major natural gas pipeline networks and international shipping routes.
