Rio Grande LNG Export Terminal (Phase 1)

Rio Grande LNG is one of the largest energy projects under construction in the United States, a liquefied natural gas export terminal rising on the Brownsville Ship Channel in South Texas. Developer NextDecade gave Bechtel the green light in July 2023, and crews have been building the first phase ever since. Phase 1 alone carries an estimated $18 billion price tag and covers three liquefaction trains, two storage tanks, and a marine berth for loading tankers bound for Europe and Asia.

Project Scope
Bechtel holds a fixed-price, turnkey contract covering engineering, procurement, and construction, an arrangement that puts cost and schedule risk largely on the builder. The full site is permitted for up to five trains and 48 million tonnes of LNG a year, which would make it one of the biggest export facilities in the country once complete. Work spans cryogenic process units, cooling systems, pipe racks, and deepwater marine structures at the Port of Brownsville. NextDecade, based in Houston, expects to start commissioning activity in 2026 and produce first LNG from the opening train in the first half of 2027.

Why It Matters
U.S. LNG exports have reshaped global gas markets since European buyers scrambled for supply, and Gulf Coast terminals now anchor much of that trade. Rio Grande LNG adds serious volume from a stretch of the Texas coast that had no export capacity a few years ago. The project has drawn opposition from nearby communities and environmental groups over air quality, effects on the Rio Grande Valley’s shrimping grounds, and the emissions tied to more gas exports, and legal fights over its federal permit have followed it through construction. For the Port of Brownsville, though, it’s the anchor tenant that turns a quiet channel into a major energy gateway and thousands of construction jobs.

Project Team & Details