Baker Hughes Equips Rio Grande LNG Facility with Gas Turbine, Compressor Tech
Once NextDecade permits, constructs, and operates Trains 6 through 8, the total liquefaction capacity will increase by approximately 18 MTPA.
Baker Hughes, under a framework agreement with NextDecade Corp., will deliver its gas turbine and refrigerant compressor equipment packages for Trains 4 – 8 at the Rio Grande LNG facility. The company will also perform maintenance on these equipment packages. Baker Hughes anticipates orders as NextDecade’s project continues.
“Baker Hughes is proud to continue our long-standing relationship with NextDecade, providing advanced gas technology solutions that enhance the efficiency and reliability of their LNG operations,” said Lorenzo Simonelli, Chairman and CEO of Baker Hughes. “This agreement is a further example of our commitment to delivering solutions in support of increasing energy demand.”
Once NextDecade permits, constructs, and operates Trains 6 through 8, the company’s total liquefaction capacity will increase by approximately 18 MTPA. The permitting processes for Train 6, 7, and 8 are currently under development and scheduled to begin soon.
Rio Grande LNG facility; image credit: Petroleum Exploration Society of Australia
“Utilizing Baker Hughes’ rotating equipment and maintenance services is critical to ensuring the Rio Grande LNG facility operates efficiently and reliably,” said Matt Schatzman, Chairman and CEO of NextDecade. “We look forward to continuing our collaboration with Baker Hughes as we progress our plans to make the Rio Grande LNG facility one of the largest LNG production and export facilities in the world.”
NextDecade is progressing the commercialization of Rio Grande LNG Trains 4 and 5, expecting to make positive final investment decisions and begin construction once the following are satisfied:
- Maintaining government approvals
- Finalizing and executing engineering, procurement, and construction contracts
- Entering commercial agreements
- Obtaining financing to build trains and associated infrastructure
More Baker Hughes News
Last week, Baker Hughes and Woodside Energy signed a technology development agreement (TDA) and established a joint initiative to develop a small-scale, low-carbon power generation solution utilizing the Net Power platform. The solution will use natural gas to generate low-cost power while capturing most CO2 emissions. Under the TDA, the partnership will also assess the feasibility and industrial market scalability of Net Power’s platform.
The platform is designed to generate power for various applications, including:
- Oil and gas
- LNG
- Heavy industries
- Small-scale applications
The Net Power platform will use lessons learned from the development and testing at Net Power’s La Porte, TX, demonstration facility and the company’s power plant near Midland, TX.
Also in March, Baker Hughes, under a partnership with Frontier Infrastructure, will deliver its technologies and resources to large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS), power generation, and data center projects. The partnership aims to accelerate the deployment of CCS projects and power solutions in the United States, satisfying the increased power demand in Wyoming, the Mountain West, and Texas. Baker Hughes expects orders as Frontier projects progress.
To meet the power demand driven by expanding data centers and industrial operations, Frontier Infrastructure is developing 256 MW of gas-fired, behind-the-meter power capacity. Baker Hughes will provide its industrial NovaLT gas turbines to support these power generation applications with reliability, flexibility, efficiency, and lower carbon operation. Baker Hughes will also supply its well design, CO2 compression, and long-term monitoring technologies for Frontier’s Sweetwater Carbon Storage Hub, in addition to future CCS projects.
