Fluor Corp. is executing engineering, procurement and fabrication management for two phases of New Fortress Energy Inc.’s first offshore natural gas export plant in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Grand Isle, La. The project includes adding gas treatment and liquefaction units on fixed offshore platforms, which the developer says could export about 2.8 million tons per year of LNG. It awarded Fluor a contract for an undisclosed amount for the second phase in mid-July, following an earlier award in the first quarter. The developer projects first-phase operation in early 2023. No target date was disclosed for the second.

Using repurposed drilling jack-up rigs as their bases, the modular plants are part of New Fortress Energy's stated plan to access multiple global natural gas sources. The design “facilitates repeatable project models,” said Jim Breuer, Fluor Energy Solutions group president. “We’re well positioned to support the increased worldwide demand for LNG,” Fluor CEO David Constable told analysts Aug. 5. “We’re looking at it as a very long-term play.” New Fortress also said it plans up to four similar projects off Mexico’s Gulf Coast, but earlier this year it paused a proposed $800-million liquefaction plant in Pennsylvania due to strong opposition.

Bechtel

Corpus Christi LNG Job May Grow

Cheniere Energy, the largest U.S. exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG), last month indicated intent to broaden an expansion now underway at its 1,000-acre Corpus Christi, Texas, export plant. If executed, the firm would add 1.64 million metric tons per year of capacity to the current 10-million-tpy-expansion. Cheniere said it would seek formal Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approval in February. In June, Cheniere announced a financial investment decision for the current expansion and a notice to proceed to Bechtel under a fixed-price EPC contract of undisclosed value. The project, set to complete in late 2025, would expand the plant's total capacity to 25 million tpy.

Worley

Texas Petrochemical Plant Award

Corpus Christi Polymers awarded Worley in August two contracts of undisclosed amounts for construction management and other services for a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and purified terephthalic acid (PTA) plant in Corpus Christi, Texas. The integrated facility would produce 1.1 million and 1.2 million metric tons per year of PET, a 100% recyclable plastic polymer, and PTA, respectively. Set for startup in 2024, it would be the largest of its kind in the Americas, Worley says.

Santos-Repsol

Alaska Pikka Oilfield's $2.6B Boost

Energy firms Santos, Australia, and Repsol, Spain, announced last month a $2.6-billion investment to develop the Pikka oilfield on Alaska’s North Slope. The companies noted efforts to reduce fossil-fuel emissions, such as use of natural gas during operations. Santos said funding will cover initial development, with 80,000 barrels of oil daily expected in 2026.

Phillips 66

Bluewater Texas offshore Oil Terminal

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Sept. 1 directed oil giant Phillips 66 and a partner to resubmit a federal clean air permit application for Bluewater Texas Terminal, a planned offshore oil terminal near Corpus Christi, revoking a permit granted in 2020. EPA asked project developers to cut pollution emissions. Environmental advocates said the terminal, which would export up to 384 million barrels of crude oil per year, was allowed by the previous permit to emit 18,000 tons of pollutants annually. Phillips 66 said it was reviewing the EPA directive.