Port Arthur LNG Plant Could Double Output

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) just gave Sempra a green light to expand its Port Arthur, Texas LNG plant. A subsidiary of San Diego-based Sempra just received federal approval to expand a big liquefied natural gas facility it is building on the Texas Gulf Coast. Phase I of the $13 billion Sempra plant is already under construction.

With this approval, the company could mimic the first phase, by adding two more LNG processing units, another storage tank and a marine berth. If Sempra decided to move ahead and double the plant, that would increase the investment into the Jefferson County plant by another $13 billion.

Sempra Infrastructure has become a major player in the liquefied natural gas, or LNG, market in which facilities take gas, cool it to minus 260 degrees Fahrenheit, load it onto cargo tanks on double-hulled ships and then export the LNG to international destinations.