Energy Transfer has signed a preliminary contract with a consortium led by Technip Energies and KBR for the construction of its proposed Lake Charles LNG plant in the US state of Louisiana, reported Reuters.

This development is contingent on an FID for the project, the publication reported, citing a filing by the company with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Since 2015, Energy Transfer has been endeavouring to develop the Lake Charles LNG project but has faced challenges in securing sufficient customer commitments for the 16.5mtpa facility.

Despite being fully permitted for three 5.5mtpa liquefaction trains, which would leverage existing infrastructure, the project has missed two FID targets.

A critical aspect of the project's advancement is the acquisition of a US permit to export LNG to countries without a free trade agreement with the US, known as non-FTA countries.

After the US Department of Energy denied Energy Transfer's request for a second extension to export to non-FTA countries in 2023, the company filed for a new permit.

KBR recently secured a contract to provide project management services for the new Lobito Refinery in Angola, owned by state oil company Sonangol.

This contract includes overseeing the engineering, procurement and construction phases of the 200,000 barrels of oil per day facility.

Technip Energies, in partnership with JGC, was also awarded the front-end engineering design contract for the Rovuma LNG project in Mozambique.

The contract was awarded by ExxonMobil, representing the Mozambique Rovuma Venture, a joint venture between ExxonMobil, Eni and CNPC.

Located in Palma, on the Afungi peninsula in north-east Mozambique, the Rovuma LNG project is expected to have 12 modularised LNG trains, each with a capacity of 1.5mtpa, totalling 18mtpa.