Rio Grande Requests Extension to Build Texas Export Facilities

Rio Grande LNG has sought a three-year extension from the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to construct an export facility in Texas, according to a filing.

The company requires the time to build certain project facilities and make the liquefied natural gas export plant at the Port of Brownsville available for service by November 2031, it said in the filing to the energy regulator on Friday.

Rio Grande LNG is an under-construction facility owned by NextDecade, with the capacity to export 48 million tonnes per annum of the super-chilled gas.

The terminal, which is a key component of the company's broader LNG export ambitions along the U.S. Gulf Coast, will feature five natural gas liquefaction trains, four full-containment LNG storage tanks, and two LNG carrier loading berths, according to project documents.

Two additional trains are currently in the development and permitting process, but have not yet reached positive final investment decisions.

Construction of trains 1-3 is estimated to be completed by the first quarter of 2029, and the rest by the second quarter of 2031, the company said.

Construction of the terminal started in July 2023, nearly four years after its authorization, with regulators later granting an extension to November 22, 2028 due to delays beyond the company's control.

(Reuters)