Golden Pass LNG has requested a three-year extension from US regulators to complete the construction of its $10bn liquefied natural gas (LNG) export project, reported Reuters.
The company is a JV between QatarEnergy and ExxonMobil.
Golden Pass LNG cited scheduling uncertainties and a change in primary contractors as reasons for the extension, which would push the completion date to November 2029.
The Golden Pass LNG export project, currently under construction on the Texas coast, is set have the capacity to produce 18 million tonnes per annum (mtpa).
The project was expected to produce its first LNG in 2025. The current approval expires in November 2026.
A Golden Pass LNG representative said: “The goal is to produce first LNG around the end of 2025 with commercial operations following thereafter. The extensions we have requested build in time for contingencies."
QatarEnergy holds a 70% stake in the JV, with Exxon owning the remaining 30%.
The request for additional time is also to accommodate the rehiring and remobilisation of more than 4,000 skilled workers and to provide a buffer for potential uncertainties such as severe weather or hurricane delays, which could pose safety risks for onsite crews.
This information was included in the company's communication to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
Following the bankruptcy filing of Zachry Industrial, the project's initial primary contractor, due to a dispute over $2.4bn in cost overruns, Golden Pass LNG appointed CB&I, a unit of McDermott International, as the new lead contractor.
Golden Pass LNG is seeking the extension under a FERC provision that allows for such a request if a company demonstrates good faith efforts to complete a project on time.
According to the FERC filing, construction of the first gas-processing unit is approximately 83% complete, with the second and third units 46% and 31% complete, respectively.
