New $17.5 billion Calcasieu Parish LNG facility is in the works
What state officials are calling “the largest foreign investment in Louisiana history“ is well underway as Woodside Energy has officially broke ground on its new $17.5 billion liquefied natural gas facility in Calcasieu Parish.
On Monday, Woodside Energy representatives and Gov. Jeff Landry celebrated the groundbreaking of Louisiana LNG, located in Sulphur.
“Louisiana LNG will be a significant contributor to US LNG exports, supporting the nation’s role as a leading energy supplier to the world,” Woodside Energy CEO Meg O’Neill said in a news release. “It is expected to support tens of thousands of high-quality jobs in the US, strengthen global energy security and generate billions of dollars in local and national revenues, delivering long-term benefits to the communities where we operate.”
During the event, O’Neill said the groundbreaking marks the moment that Woodside Energy evolves into a “truly global LNG powerhouse.”
“Through Louisiana LNG, we are delivering US natural gas to the world, strengthening energy security, creating thousands of jobs, and delivering long-term benefits to the community,” O’Neill said. “I’m extremely proud of the work that everyone here and everyone on the broader team is doing to deliver that.”
Woodside Energy announced the final investment decision on the project on April 29 and has since grown the construction workforce to almost 900 personnel.
O’Neill said that throughout the $17.5 billion project, 85% of the construction budget will be spent. Additionally, she stated that during construction, Louisiana LNG will create 4,400 jobs on-site and 15,000 direct jobs related to the project.
The project consists of three LNG trains with a total capacity of 16.5 million tonnes per annum, with the first expected to be completed in 2029. From there, the second train is expected to be in production in 2030 and the third 2031.
However, O’Neill said with a permit capacity of 27.6 mtpa, there is expansion capacity for two additional LNG trains.
So far, the first of the three LNG trains is more than 22% complete.
Landry said that the work being done at Louisiana LNG is not just exciting for Calcasieu Parish and the state of Louisiana, but the entire nation.
There has been national uncertainty and pushback regarding the future of LNG over the past few years, as the Biden Administration paused LNG export approvals. However, after he took office in January, President Donald Trump and his administration reversed the pause.
“The overall outlook for LNG in the United States is a dominant subject everywhere around the world,” Landry said. “They’re looking to the United States because we can export stability, and if you think you’re not going to need LNG, think about what the world needs over the next 10 years.”