Cheniere Energy's Train 5 in Texas operating at full capacity

By Curtis Williams

HOUSTON, March 27 (Reuters) - Cheniere Energy’s LNG.N Train 5 at its Corpus Christi liquefied natural gas expansion project is now operating at full capacity, the company said on Friday.

Train 5 is part of a seven‑train development expected to add 10 million metric tons per year of export capacity to the Corpus Christi LNG plant in Texas. The new unit will increase output by just under 1.5 million tons a year, according to company documents.

LNG trains are processing units that chill natural gas into a super-cooled liquid for export. Global LNG supply is currently hamstrung following Iran's attacks on facilities in Qatar, one of the world's largest producers of the fuel.

Cheniere said contractor Bechtel handed over operations of Train 5 on Friday.

Feedgas flows to Corpus Christi reached near‑record levels on Friday, with the facility pulling in almost 2.5 billion cubic feet of gas, according to LSEG data.

CEO Jack Fusco told the CERAWeek energy conference on Wednesday that Cheniere plans to send more cargoes to Asia, which is facing shortages after the attacks that shut QatarEnergy’s LNG facilities.

QatarEnergy accounts for about 20% of global LNG supply and has warned it could lose around 17% of its output for up to five years after its sites were struck by an Iranian missile.

Cheniere, the largest U.S. LNG exporter, said it is working to speed completion of the remaining two trains in the Corpus Christi expansion.