Bechtel completes all seven trains at Cheniere's Corpus Christi Stage 3 LNG plant in Gregory, Texas

Bechtel Energy handed over the seventh and final liquefaction train at Cheniere Energy's Corpus Christi Liquefaction Stage 3 project in Gregory, Texas on 28 August 2026, achieving substantial completion of the full seven-train expansion ahead of schedule and on budget^[1]. The project adds more than 10 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of LNG production capacity to the Corpus Christi site, expanding Cheniere's total output by over 20% to approximately 56 mtpa.

A four-year build, train by train

Cheniere issued full notice to proceed to Bechtel in June 2022, with first LNG production from Train 1 achieved in December 2024. The project then moved through its remaining trains at an accelerating pace:

• Trains 1-4 reached substantial completion in March, August, October, and December 2025, respectively
• Train 5 was completed in March 2026 and Train 6 in June 2026
• Train 7 transferred to Cheniere on 28 August 2026, closing out the contract

Cheniere noted that Train 3 went from first LNG to substantial completion in just 38 days - roughly half the time it took Train 1 to reach the same milestone - reflecting the efficiency gains Bechtel and Cheniere captured as the build progressed. The project's total site investment, including earlier stages, is set to exceed $25 billion.

The CCL Stage 3 project brings Corpus Christi's total permitted liquefaction capacity to more than 25 mtpa, positioning it as one of the largest LNG export facilities in the world. Cheniere said the plant, combined with expansion capacity at its Sabine Pass terminal in Louisiana, is on a path toward a combined production total of approximately 75 mtpa within the next decade.

Bechtel's expanding Texas LNG footprint

The Corpus Christi completion is one node in a much larger Texas-focused LNG programme that Bechtel has assembled over the past several years^[1].

• Rio Grande LNG, Brownsville - Bechtel holds a $12 billion EPC contract for Phase 1, covering three liquefaction trains, two storage tanks, and one marine berth. In June 2025, owner NextDecade contracted Bechtel for an additional $9 billion of work on top of the original award. In September 2025, NextDecade reached financial close on Train 4, a segment worth $4.77 billion to Bechtel.
• Port Arthur LNG, Sabine Lake - Bechtel is building the $13 billion Phase 1 for Sempra, with completion targeted between 2027 and 2028. It also signed a fixed-price EPC contract for Phase 2 in 2024.
• Sabine Pass Stage 5, Louisiana - Bechtel signed an EPC agreement with Cheniere in May 2026 for Train 7 at the Sabine Pass facility, extending the two firms' relationship into the next decade.

Bechtel has been responsible for the construction of approximately one-third of the world's LNG production capacity, and has completed 17 LNG trains since 2018. The contractor's LNG backlog now spans projects that could keep its energy division occupied through the early 2030s.

What comes next at Corpus Christi

Bechtel is not finished at the Corpus Christi site. The CCL Midscale Trains 8 and 9 project - a two-train expansion adjacent to Stage 3 with an expected combined production capacity of approximately 5 mtpa - is currently under construction, with substantial completion targeted in the second half of 2028. Cheniere made a positive final investment decision on that expansion in June 2025.

Cheniere has also initiated the pre-filing review process with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for a CCL Stage 4 expansion, which would add up to approximately 24 mtpa of additional peak capacity. Bechtel is performing front-end engineering and design work on that project.

The pace at which Bechtel has sequenced completions at CCL Stage 3 - seven trains in under two years from first LNG - will be closely watched by developers planning the next wave of U.S. LNG export capacity. Whether the same execution model can be replicated at Rio Grande and Port Arthur, both of which are larger-scale projects with different technology configurations, is the question the industry will be tracking through the rest of the decade.