Air Products will supply LNG process technology and equipment to NextDecade’s Rio Grande LNG Phase 1 project in the Port of Brownsville, Texas.

The industrial giant this week signed agreements with clean energy solutions company Bechtel Energy for the supply of its coil-wound heat exchangers (CWHEs) and AP-C3MR™ LNG process technology.

Once operational, the project will feature three natural gas liquefaction trains employing Air Products’ equipment, with a production capability of approximately 17.6 million tonnes per annum of LNG.

Dr. Samir Serhan, Chief Operating Officer of Air Products, said the project enables the company to further support the growing North American LNG market.

News of the contract comes just days after Air Products said it is increasing capacity at its LNG equipment manufacturing facility in Port Manatee, Florida, to meet industry demand and improve equipment delivery schedules.

Specifically, the company said it will increase its winding capabilities by almost 20%. Winding is a fabrication process for the internal components of CWHEs – just like the ones that are being supplied to the Rio Grande LNG project.

The CWHEs supplied under the Bechtel Energy deal will be manufactured at the Port Manatee site.

Paul Marsden, President of Bechtel Energy, said, “Using Air Products’ liquefaction technology, we look forward to delivering an exactingly engineered plant that will enable NextDecade to produce lower carbon-intensive LNG, contributing to energy security and supporting the energy transition.”

At full scale, Rio Grande LNG will be capable of producing 27 million metric tonnes of lower carbon-intensive LNG annually for export markets around the world.

This amount of energy is enough to meet the annual heating requirements of nearly 20 million households, the equivalent of the total number of households in New York and California combined.

Rio Grande LNG is also said to be the first and only US LNG project offering CO2 emissions reduction of more than 90% via carbon capture and storage – capturing and permanently storing more than five million metric tonnes of CO2 annually.

Back in June (2023), NextDecade secured funding for the first three liquefaction trains, or Phase 1, of its Rio Grande LNG export facility. Already, 16.2 million tonnes per annum of LNG from Phase 1, or 92% nameplate capacity, has been sold under long-term sale and purchase agreements.