Sempra Infrastructure announced a bevy of development agreements Monday, including expanding its Cameron liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal on the Gulf Coast with the help of existing partners.

The affiliate of San Diego-based Sempra secured a heads of agreement (HOA) with TotalEnergies, Mitsui & Co. and Japan LNG Investment LLC to develop a fourth liquefaction train at the Hackberry, LA, facility. 

Japan LNG is jointly owned by Sempra’s two existing partners in the first phase of Cameron, Mitsubishi Corp. and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha.

[Want today’s Henry Hub, Houston Ship Channel and Chicago Citygate prices? Check out NGI’s daily natural gas price snapshot now.]

The current scope of the project includes adding one train with a proposed maximum capacity of 6.75 million metric tons/year (mmty). The project could be online in 2027. The train would add to  the existing 12 mmty capacity from Cameron’s first three trains.

Sempra Infrastructure CEO Justin Bird said the HOA would help extend the Cameron partners’ goals to expand domestic gas to overseas markets. He said it was also a critical step to securing energy resources for U.S. allies.

The agreement includes investments in “debottlenecking activities” for existing trains. Under the HOA’s tolling agreements, Sempra could secure the majority (50.2%) of the projected fourth train’s capacity and 25% of capacity that would be achieved through improved efficiencies in the first three trains.

Expanding Cameron has been in the works for years. It was approved by FERC in 2016. A permit extension was approved after TotalEnergies came onboard as a partner with 16.6% equity in the project. Since then, the partners have refined plans.

Sempra has said plans to incorporate technology such as electric drive motors in its Cameron expansion, as well as partnerships for renewable energy would increase its competitiveness.

Sempra still is seeking  long-term sale and purchase agreements before the expansion is sanctioned.

Two front-end engineering design contracts for the expansion were awarded by Sempra Monday to Bechtel Energy Inc. and a joint venture between JGC America Inc. and Zachry Industrial Inc.

Adding to the list of agreements Monday, Sempra also disclosed it has signed a memorandum of understanding with South Korea’s state-run Korea Gas Corp., aka Kogas. The two companies are exploring offtake and development opportunities across multiple businesses, including LNG, carbon capture and sequestration, and hydrogen infrastructure.

Sempra has previously announced potential plans to build a carbon capture, utilization and sequestration (CCUS) project in Hackberry, LA, as well as CCUS facilities near its proposed site for the Port Arthur LNG export terminal in southeast Texas.

Last week, Sempra also secured additional agreements for its Vista Pacífico LNG project proposed on Mexico’s West Coast and possible partnerships for renewables.