JGC-Fluor Joint Venture Completes Final Weld on LNG Canada Train 1

Following 48 hours of continuous work from welding teams operating in shifts, Fluor Corp. announced placement of the final weld at LNG Canada’s first production train in Kitimat, British Columbia, Canada. Since construction began in 2018, upwards of 380 pipe welders have worked on the LNG Canada project—a joint venture between Shell, Petronas, PetroChina, Mitsubishi Corp., and Korea Gas Corp. Initially, it will have the capacity to produce 12.7 metric tons of LNG per year with the first shipment slated for mid-2025.

“The significance of achieving the last weld to support Train One completion is a testament to the collaborative efforts of the JGC-Fluor project team, subcontractors and a skilled and dedicated workforce,” said Jim Breuer, President of Fluor’s Energy Solutions business. “We are now one step closer to the introduction of gas and start-up.”

Outside Battery Limits Closure Weld Team at the LNG Canada project; Image Credits: Business Wire

The JGC-Fluor joint venture is managing several facets of the LNG Canada megaproject, including engineering, procurement, fabrication, and delivery of modules and the construction of project infrastructure and utilities, marine structures, and an LNG storage tank.

In July 2023, Fluor and Carbfix entered a memorandum of understanding to develop carbon capture and storage (CCS) solutions to reduce the carbon footprint of industries with high greenhouse gas emissions. This partnership will also explore opportunities in CO₂ removal projects, such as direct air capture and bioenergy CCS.

“Achieving the world’s climate targets requires significant upscaling of CCS,” said Edda Aradóttir, CEO of Carbfix. “Our method of subsurface mineralization of CO₂ accelerates natural processes to achieve safe, cost-effective, and permanent storage. Our collaboration with Fluor is an important step for Carbfix as we work towards bringing our operations to the megaton scale."

Fluor's contribution includes its proprietary Econamine FG PlusSM carbon-capture technology, along with its wide-ranging experience in engineering, procurement, and construction. Carbfix's technology transforms CO₂ by dissolving it in water and injecting it into porous basaltic rock formations, enabling natural processes to solidify the CO₂ into stable carbonate minerals within two years.

Following this agreement, in October 2023, Cormorant Clean Energy awarded Fluor a contract for the front-end engineering and design (FEED) of a low-carbon blue ammonia production facility—the contract additionally covers procurement services. Fluor’s FEED services cover the totality of the facility’s construction: process units, utilities, offsite locations, buildings, and roads. Fluor will utilize process design packages, provided by the licensors, to develop deliverables for respective licensed technology units.

“Hydrogen technologies are critical to addressing the global demand for ultra-low-carbon hydrogen and the production of hydrogen derivatives such as ammonia, methanol, and sustainable aviation fuels,” said Breuer. “We thank 8 Rivers and Cormorant Clean Energy for trusting Fluor to help reach their decarbonization goals.”

The blue ammonia facility will deploy 8 Rivers’ 8RH2 ultra-low-carbon hydrogen production technology at a commercial scale. Hydrogen will be converted into ammonia—then stored and transported—after which the gas can be converted back into hydrogen for end-user applications. This ammonia is classified as “blue” due to the capture of over 99% of the CO₂ generated in the process.