Texas LNG Export Hub

Corpus Christi · Freeport · Sabine Pass · Port Arthur · Brownsville

Texas has three operating liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminals, Cheniere's Corpus Christi LNG, Freeport LNG and Golden Pass LNG, and two more under construction, NextDecade's Rio Grande LNG and Sempra's Port Arthur LNG. Golden Pass shipped its first cargo in April 2026 and Corpus Christi finished its Stage 3 expansion in August 2026, lifting the site past 25 million tonnes a year.

Cheniere; operating, 10 trainsCorpus Christi LNG25 mtpa Freeport LNG Development; three trains operatingFreeport LNG15 mtpa QatarEnergy and ExxonMobil; Train 1 online 2026Golden Pass LNG18 mtpa NextDecade; under construction, first LNG 2027Rio Grande LNG T1-T530 mtpa Sempra Infrastructure; under constructionPort Arthur LNG Ph 1-226 mtpa Glenfarne; Brownsville, pre-FIDTexas LNG4 mtpa
Operating
Three terminals
Building
Two terminals
Largest
Corpus Christi, 25+ mtpa
Newest
Golden Pass, Apr 2026
Counties
San Patricio to Cameron
Sector
Energy

Overview

Three Terminals Operating and Two Under Construction

Texas LNG terminals sit on deep-water channels from San Patricio County to the Louisiana line: Cheniere's Corpus Christi LNG on the La Quinta Ship Channel, Freeport LNG on Quintana Island in Brazoria County, and Golden Pass LNG at Sabine Pass in Jefferson County. NextDecade's Rio Grande LNG at the Port of Brownsville in Cameron County and Sempra Infrastructure's Port Arthur LNG in Jefferson County are under construction. Cheniere's larger Sabine Pass LNG sits across the state line in Cameron Parish, Louisiana.

US LNG exports averaged 17.4 billion cubic feet a day (Bcf/d) in the first half of 2026, up 23 percent from a year earlier, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). Golden Pass, owned by QatarEnergy (70 percent) and ExxonMobil (30 percent), produced first LNG in March 2026 and shipped its first cargo on April 22, 2026; Train 2 targets the second half of 2026 and Train 3 the first half of 2027, for 2.0 Bcf/d nominal capacity.

Profile
OperatingCorpus Christi LNG, Freeport LNG, Golden Pass LNG
Under constructionRio Grande LNG, Port Arthur LNG
Largest operatorCheniere Energy, Houston
Largest siteCorpus Christi, 25+ mtpa, 10 trains
ExpansionsCCL Trains 8-9, CCL Stage 4, Rio Grande Train 6
US exports17.4 Bcf/d, first half of 2026 (EIA)
Feed gasPermian Basin and Eagle Ford pipelines
RegulatorsFERC siting, DOE export authorization

Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi Finished Stage 3 and Filed to Double Again

Cheniere's Corpus Christi Liquefaction (CCL) produced first LNG in 2018 and now runs 10 trains, three large-scale and seven midscale, with more than 25 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of capacity and about 1,150 staff. Bechtel handed over the seventh and last Stage 3 train on Aug 28, 2026, on budget and ahead of schedule.

Midscale Trains 8 and 9 reached a final investment decision (FID) in June 2025 and add about 5 mtpa with debottlenecking; they were 36.9 percent complete at the end of March 2026, with completion due in the second half of 2028. In February 2026 Cheniere applied to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for Stage 4: four trains of about 6 mtpa each, 24 mtpa in all, needing about 3.3 Bcf/d of feed gas. Cheniere expects federal authorization by May 2027, and Stage 4 would take the site to about 49 mtpa.

Under construction

Rio Grande LNG and Port Arthur LNG Add About 56 mtpa

NextDecade has five trains under construction at Rio Grande LNG, about 30 mtpa combined. Phase 1 (Trains 1 to 3) started construction in July 2023, Train 4 in September 2025 and Train 5 after its FID in October 2025. As of June 2026 Trains 1 and 2 were 74 percent complete; first gas is due in the second half of 2026 and first LNG from Train 1 in the first half of 2027. NextDecade filed with FERC in May 2026 for Train 6 and a marine berth, targets a Train 6 FID in the second half of 2027, and has room for up to 10 trains. The site neighbors SpaceX Starbase in the Rio Grande Valley, where Port Isabel and South Padre Island residents have opposed the project.

Sempra Infrastructure is building Port Arthur LNG Phase 1, two trains and 13 mtpa, and took FID in September 2025 on Phase 2, another 13 mtpa for about $14B. Glenfarne's Texas LNG, a project of about 4 mtpa also at the Port of Brownsville, has not reached FID.

Freeport LNG runs three trains of about 15 mtpa, commissioned in 2019 and 2020 on a site that opened in 2008 as an import terminal. FERC extended the deadline for its 5 mtpa Train 4 to Dec 1, 2031.

Buyers and China

China Stopped Buying US LNG in 2025 as Texas Signed Europe and Asia

China halted direct imports of US LNG in February 2025 after adding a 15 percent tariff, for a total levy of 25 percent. It took about 26,000 tons of US LNG in 2025, against 4.15 million tons in 2024. Three cargoes, from Sabine Pass and Venture Global's Plaquemines in Louisiana, sailed for Tianjin in May 2026 as US-China talks resumed.

Rio Grande LNG buyers include TotalEnergies, Shell, ENGIE, Japan's JERA, Saudi Aramco and China's Guangdong Energy. Texas feed gas comes from the Permian Basin and Eagle Ford, the same supply that serves the Houston Ship Channel crackers and gas-fired behind-the-meter (BTM) plants for data centers.

Record

Dataset Record

Sources
US Energy Information Administration, Cheniere Energy, Energy Oil & Gas, Enerdata, NextDecade (Q2 2026 business update), Sempra, Oil & Gas Journal, Gas Processing News, Glenfarne, Industrial Info, Natural Gas World, S&P Global, WebProNews
Last verified
October 2026