U.S. LNG company Cheniere Energy on Feb. 7 said it had finished construction of a sixth liquefaction unit at its Sabine Pass LNG export plant in Louisiana, paving the way for higher commercial exports.

Contractor Bechtel Group on Feb. 4 finished building the sixth LNG processing train ahead of schedule and within budget, the companies said. The work began in June 2019.

Completion brings total production capacity at its Sabine Pass facility to about 30 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of LNG. Cheniere's other LNG plant, in Corpus Christi, Texas, produces another 15 mtpa.

“Demand has really picked up,” Cheniere CEO Jack Fusco told Reuters. “It creates a huge opportunity for us.”

Since Jan. 1, the company has sent about 50 LNG tankers, or 70% of its total shipments, to Europe, Fusco said. “There are still 18 in the water today,” Fusco said.

Cheniere this year could make a final investment decision on a proposed expansion to its Corpus Christi facility that would boost its production capacity by more than 10 mtpa.

Bechtel has completed construction of nine trains in nine years for Cheniere despite Hurricane Harvey, the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain disruptions, Bechtel CEO Brendan Bechtel said.

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