FERC grants Freeport LNG more time to build fourth train

LNG export company Freeport LNG’s 17M tonnes per annum LNG liquefaction and export terminal on Quintana Island, near Freeport, Texas, only fully finalised the repairs of its infrastructure in May 2025 after a fire in 2022 shut down the facility. 

On 8 June 2022, less than a month after submitting the Second Extension Request, an explosion occurred at the terminal, which resulted in the entire terminal being taken offline. The incident resulted in a release of LNG and formation and ignition of a natural gas vapour cloud that caused a fire at the facility. FERC gave approval for a restart at the facility in March 2023, and full operations only resumed in May 2024.

A statement to investors from Freeport LNG in May 2025 said the third of the company’s three LNG storage tanks had been returned to service as of 21 May 2025, with the approval of the US’ Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The storage tank had been offline for nearly three years after LNG piping to the tank was damaged in the fire at the facilty.

The company said it has "implemented significant improvements to its organisation, doubling the size of its operations and maintenance workforce and strengthening key leadership positions across the company, including at president, chief financial officer and chief operating officer, and in the areas of operations, maintenance, engineering, process safety, environmental health and safety, security, marine operations, business innovation and treasury" in response to the fire.

In addition to improved safety procedures, Freeport LNG reported that its organisational changes had also resulted in increased LNG throughput.

"Simultaneously with the company’s 8 June recovery efforts, the above organisational changes and its improvements in process safety and reliable operations, the company completed a debottlenecking project that increased its LNG production capacity. Over the past year, despite operating with only two of its three LNG storage tanks in service, Freeport LNG has safely achieved record LNG production rates, most recently achieving an all-time company record LNG production month in April 2025," Freeport LNG said.

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