NextDecade Provides Third Quarter 2024 Business Update
CEO Commentary
“We continued to make excellent progress on the construction of Phase 1 at the Rio Grande Facility during the third quarter,” said Matt Schatzman, NextDecade’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “The facility continues to progress safely, in line with schedule, and on budget, and the site has significantly advanced in the past few months. The Bechtel team has done exemplary work, including continued pipe work for Train 1, completing the first foundation pour for Train 2, and preparing to begin deep soil mixing for Train 3. Bechtel has also laid feed gas piping and begun constructing walls for both storage tanks. We remain committed to working with Bechtel to prioritize safety and risk management as Phase 1 construction continues.”
“We have been managing the D.C. Circuit Court’s August decision to vacate the reauthorization of the Rio Grande LNG Facility with our partners and stakeholders, and we would like to thank the local Rio Grande Valley community, numerous local and federal elected officials, our LNG customers, our lenders, our equity partners, the Brownsville Navigation District, Bechtel, our suppliers, many industry participants and groups, and all other stakeholders for their widespread support of the Rio Grande LNG project and the Company. In October, we filed a petition for rehearing and rehearing en banc with the Court. The Court’s decision will not become effective while the appeals process is ongoing, and we remain committed to taking any and all available legal and regulatory actions to ensure that Phase 1 will be delivered on time and on budget and that FID on Trains 4 and 5 will not be unduly delayed.”
Significant Recent Developments
Construction
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Under the EPC contracts with Bechtel Energy Inc. (Bechtel), Phase 1 progress is tracked for Train 1, Train 2, and the common facilities on a combined basis and Train 3 on a separate basis. As of September 2024:
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The overall project completion percentage for Trains 1 and 2 and the common facilities of the Rio Grande LNG Facility was
30.5% , which is in line with the schedule under the EPC contract. Within this project completion percentage, engineering was76.1% complete, procurement was57.6% complete, and construction was5.5% complete. -
The overall project completion percentage for Train 3 of the Rio Grande LNG Facility was
9.8% , which is also in line with the schedule under the EPC contract. Within this project completion percentage, engineering was17.0% complete, procurement was21.9% complete, and construction was0.1% complete.
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The overall project completion percentage for Trains 1 and 2 and the common facilities of the Rio Grande LNG Facility was
Strategic and Commercial
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In July 2024, the Company appointed Tarik Skeik as Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Skeik has over 20 years of experience delivering complex global mega projects in LNG, oil, and petrochemicals across
North America , theMiddle East , andAsia . He led the completion and start-up of six greenfield assets, and his experience includes the planning and execution through initial operation of projects including the Huizhou Chemicals Complex inChina , Gulf Coast Growth Ventures in theU.S. , Banyu Urip inIndonesia , Kearl Expansion inCanada , and QatarGas 2 inQatar . - In August 2024, the Company entered into an EPC contract with Bechtel for Train 4 and related infrastructure. Price validity under the EPC contract for Train 4 and related infrastructure extends through December 31, 2024.
Regulatory
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In August 2024, the
U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (the “Court”) issued a decision vacating the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) reauthorization of the Rio Grande LNG Facility on the grounds that FERC should have issued a supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (“EIS”) during its reauthorization process. On October 21, 2024, the Company filed a petition for rehearing and rehearing en banc with the Court. - The Court’s decision will not be effective until the Court has issued its mandate, which is not expected to occur until after the appeals process has been completed.
- At this time, construction continues on Phase 1 at the Rio Grande LNG Facility.
- The Company expects to take all available legal and regulatory actions, including but not limited to appellate actions and other strategies, to ensure that construction on Phase 1 will continue and that necessary regulatory approvals will be maintained to enable a positive final investment decision (FID) on Trains 4 and 5 at the Rio Grande LNG Facility.
Rio Grande LNG Facility
NextDecade is constructing and developing the Rio Grande LNG Facility on the north shore of the Brownsville Ship Channel in south
Phase 1 (Trains 1-3)
Phase 1 at the Rio Grande LNG Facility is under construction. Phase 1 includes three liquefaction trains with a total nameplate capacity of 17.61 MTPA of LNG production, two 180,000 cubic meter full containment LNG storage tanks, and two jetty berthing structures designed to load LNG carriers up to 216,000 cubic meters in capacity. Phase 1 also includes associated site infrastructure and common facilities including feed gas pretreatment facilities, electric and water utilities, two totally enclosed ground flares for the LNG tanks and marine facilities, two ground flares for the liquefaction trains, roads, levees surrounding the entire site, and warehouses, administrative, operations control room, and maintenance buildings.
As of September 2024, progress on Trains 1 through 3 is in line with the schedule under the EPC contracts. Train 1 foundation pours continued during the third quarter including compressor foundations, and the first concrete pour was completed for Train 2. Pipe work continued to progress on Train 1. Deep soil mixing for Train 2 continued, and rebar work was completed for the Train 2 main pipe rack. Equipment relocation to begin deep soil mixing is underway for Train 3, and tank wall construction has begun on Tanks 1 and 2.
Bechtel has continued to make meaningful progress on procurement for Phase 1, with a focus on completing purchase orders for critical and high-value items early in the construction process. As of September 2024, Bechtel has issued approximately
NextDecade holds equity interests in the Phase 1 joint venture that entitle it to receive up to
Final Investment Decision on Train 4 and Train 5
Achieving a positive FID on Trains 4 and 5 at the Rio Grande LNG Facility will be subject to, among other things, maintaining requisite governmental approvals, finalizing and entering into EPC contracts, entering into appropriate commercial arrangements, and obtaining adequate financing to construct each train and related infrastructure.
The Company has finalized an EPC contract with Bechtel for Train 4 and related infrastructure. Price validity under the EPC contract for Train 4 and related infrastructure extends through December 31, 2024.
The Company continues to advance commercial discussions with multiple potential counterparties and expects to finalize commercial arrangements for Train 4 in the coming months to support an FID on Train 4. The Company entered into an LNG sales and purchase agreement (SPA) with ADNOC for the sale of 1.9 MTPA of LNG from Train 4, as well as a non-binding heads of agreement with Aramco for the sale of 1.2 MTPA of LNG from Train 4. The Company is working with Aramco to finalize a binding SPA. Additionally, the Company expects TotalEnergies to exercise its LNG purchase option for 1.5 MTPA of LNG from Train 4.
The Company expects to finance construction of Train 4 utilizing a combination of debt and equity funding. The Company expects to enter into bank facilities for the debt portion of the funding. In connection with consummating the Rio Grande Phase 1 equity joint venture, the Company's equity partners each have options to invest in Train 4 equity, which, if exercised, would provide approximately
The Company expects to begin the EPC contracting process for Train 5 after a positive FID on Train 4. TotalEnergies also holds an LNG purchase option for 1.5 MTPA for Train 5, and the Rio Grande Phase 1 equity partners have options to invest in Train 5 equity which are identical to their options to participate in Train 4 equity.
Investor Presentation
NextDecade has posted an updated investor presentation to its website concurrently with this release. A copy of this release and the investor presentation can be found on its website at www.next-decade.com.
About NextDecade Corporation
NextDecade Corporation is an energy company accelerating the path to a net-zero future. Leading innovation in more sustainable LNG and carbon capture solutions, NextDecade is committed to providing the world access to cleaner energy. Through our subsidiaries Rio Grande LNG and NEXT Carbon Solutions, we are developing a 27 MTPA LNG export facility in
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of
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NextDecade Contacts
Investors
Megan Light
mlight@next-decade.com
832-981-6583
Media
Susan Richardson
srichardson@next-decade.com
832-413-6400
Source: NextDecade Corporation