Cheniere’s Texas LNG pipeline goes into operation

A pipeline for transporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) between Whistler Pipeline’s Agua Dulce Header and Corpus Christi LNG facility in Texas, co-owned by U.S. LNG export project developer Cheniere Energy, has entered commercial service.

The ADCC pipeline, owned 70% by Whistler Pipeline, which is a joint venture between WhiteWater (50.6%), MPLX (30.4%), and Enbridge (19.0%), and 30% by a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cheniere Energy, started commercial operations on July 1, 2024.

According to WhiteWater, this is a 40-mile intrastate pipeline designed to transport up to 1.7 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), expandable to 2.5 Bcf/d of LNG from the terminus of the Whistler pipeline in Agua Dulce to Cheniere’s plant in Corpus Christi.

The energy player claims that receipt points in Agua Dulce offer direct access to Permian and Eagle Ford volumes, paired with volumes from the Gulf Coast. Along with enhancing the LNG infrastructure in Texas and creating an additional demand point for Permian gas, this is expected to help reduce flared volumes in the Permian Basin and facilitate U.S. LNG exports to global markets.

Cheniere’s Corpus Christi liquefaction facility is located in Corpus Christi Bay in Texas. It comprises three trains, each designed to produce approximately 5 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of LNG. 

In June 2022, a final investment decision (FID) was reached to expand its total nominal capacity to more than 25 mtpa as part of the Corpus Christi Stage 3 project. Later that year, Cheniere inked deals with PetroChina for up to 1.8 mtpa of LNG and with PTT for 1 mtpa of LNG, with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2026.

Last year, Cheniere inked two deals for another LNG terminal, the Sabine Pass liquefaction facility. The first was signed with Korea’s KOSPO for 0.4 million mtpa from 2027 through 2046, and the second with China’s Foran, for 0.9 mtpa of LNG for 20 years.