Special to The News

SABINE PASS — The Golden Pass Products LLC export project at the existing Golden Pass LNG facility in Sabine Pass is moving forward following a positive final investment decision from its owners, affiliates of Qatar Petroleum and ExxonMobil.

In an issued news release Tuesday, Golden Pass awarded the engineering, procurement and construction contracts for the project to a joint venture of Chiyoda International Corp., McDermott International Inc. and Zachry Group. It also executed a 20-year firm transportation agreement with Enable Midstream Partners.

Golden Pass has also secured pipeline capacity on NGPL. The project will have a capacity of about 16 million tons of LNG per year.

“Our team has worked diligently on the design, development and permitting for this world-class LNG export facility, and we are eager to begin construction to bring this exciting project to life,” Sean Ryan, president of Golden Pass Products, said. “We are extremely grateful to our employees, our community and all those who have supported us to help make this happen. This support has been absolutely critical in getting to this point, and we look forward to a long partnership going forward.”

Construction on the project is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2019 and will take about five years. The facility is expected to be operational in 2024.

“The Lone Star State leads the nation in domestic oil and gas production, and today’s announcement further solidifies that reputation,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in an issued statement. “Texas is proud that Golden Pass has chosen to expand its operations in Sabine Pass. This expansion represents not only an investment in creating jobs and growing our state’s economy, but also in expanding our nation’s international export reach and energy independence. I look forward to building upon our strong relationship with Golden Pass to keep Texas an energy leader at home and abroad.”

Golden Pass expects to support about 9,000 construction jobs over the five-year construction period and more than 200 permanent jobs once the facility is operational. According to a preliminary independent study, the $10+ billion infrastructure investment is projected to generate up to $31 billion in U.S. economic gains and $4.6 billion in taxes for the U.S. at local, state and national levels.