Lehigh Valley, Pa.-based Air Products, announced Wednesday it had signed an agreement with Bechtel Energy Inc. to provide LNG technology and equipment to the NextDecade’s Rio Grande LNG Phase 1 project in Texas.
According to the companies, the Rio Grande project, located in the Port of Brownsville, will include three natural gas liquefication trains that will employ Air Products’ liquefication equipment capable of producing 17.6 million tons of liquified natural gas (LNG) per year. The project will use Air Products’ coil-wound heat exchangers and PA-C3MR LNG Process technology, the company said.
“We are pleased to be selected to provide our LNG technology and equipment for the Rio Grande LNG project with its focus on sustainability,” Dr. Samir J. Serhan, Air Products’ Chief Operating Officer said. “Air Products’ LNG processes and equipment provide for low emissions and carbon intensity with the AP-C3MR LNG Process being the industry standard and used to produce more LNG than any other process in the world. Additionally, this project enables us to further support the growing North American LNG market.”
The coil-wound heat exchangers will be manufactured at Air Products’ manufacturing facility in Port Manatee, Fla. Opened in January 2014, the facility expanded in October 2019 to meet the needs of the LNG industry. A new LNG equipment test facility was dedicated in October 2018 which allows Air Products to improve product reliability and yield, as well as to design new equipment.
“We’re proud to partner with Air Products, who like Bechtel bring a proven track record of excellence to the Rio Grande LNG project,” Paul Marsden, president of Bechtel Energy, said. “Using Air Products’ state-of-the-art liquefaction technology, we look forward to delivering an exactingly engineered, world-class plant that will enable NextDecade to produce lower carbon-intensive LNG, contributing to energy security and supporting the energy transition.”