Trinidad and Tobago’s Atlantic LNG completed its third liquefaction train, a 3.3 billion cubic meter/year facility that brings plant capacity to 12.8 Bcm/year (453 Bcf/year or about 1.2 Bcf/d). The addition of the third train marks the completion of a US$1.1 billion expansion that started in the first quarter of 2000. The first phase of that expansion, Train 2, was completed on Aug. 12, 2002.

The expansion moves up Trinidad and Tobago in the world LNG industry rankings to fifth after Algeria, Indonesia, Qatar, and Malaysia. A significant amount of that LNG will be headed to import terminals in the United States. While about 62.5% of the total output of Trains 2 and 3 is committed to the Spanish market, the remaining 37.5% is contracted to be sold in United States, mainly in the Southeast region through the refurbished Elba Island, GA, import terminal and the Lake Charles, LA, import terminal.

A newly commissioned LNG carrier, the British Trader, will load the first full cargo of Train 3 LNG in two weeks. The tanker is owned by BP and is expected to arrive shortly in Trinidad from its last discharge in Huelva, Spain.

Participating in the expansion project were BG, BP and Repsol, three of the five members of the partnership that established Atlantic LNG’s first train. The two new expansion trains process about 1 Bcf/d of gas supplied by BP (62.5%) and BG/North Coast Marine Area Partners (37.5%) from their respective fields off the east and north coasts of Trinidad.

Aside from their LNG production, the Atlantic LNG 2 and 3 expansion trains supply some 12,000 bbl/d of natural gas liquids to Phoenix Park Gas Processors Ltd. under a 20 year agreement. PPGPL transports, fractionates and stores all Train 2/3 NGLs and also markets a portion of the NGLs into its key Caribbean markets and other international destinations. The arrangement establishes Trinidad as a natural gas liquids hub of the region.

Stakeholders currently are engaged in final rounds of talks with the Trinidad and Tobago government for a Train 4 expansion.

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