Baker Hughes Secures Two U.S. LNG Equipment Orders from Venture Global

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 13, Baker Hughes announced that it had secured two new orders from Venture Global: one to supply four liquefaction blocks, comprising a total of eight liquefaction modules, for the Plaquemines LNG expansion project in Louisiana, and another to supply 13 gas turbine-driven compression systems for the Cloud Connector natural gas pipeline. Cloud Connector will deliver feed gas to Plaquemines LNG, and with the new equipment order, the total number of Baker Hughes Frame 5/2E gas turbine-driven compression systems in the project's feed gas delivery system will increase to 23. The value of the two orders was not disclosed.

The liquefaction equipment package for the Plaquemines LNG expansion project includes four standardized liquefaction blocks, each equipped with two motor-driven single mixed refrigerant liquefaction modules, for a total of eight. The equipment scope also includes associated centrifugal compressor units, Chart cold boxes, air coolers, and an integrated control system. This approach continues Venture Global's modular LNG plant design philosophy, reducing the concentrated construction and commissioning risks associated with large single-train units by building and commissioning multiple identical liquefaction units in parallel.

The Cloud Connector pipeline equipment package covers 13 Frame 5/2E gas turbine-driven natural gas compression systems to increase feed gas transmission capacity. Baker Hughes stated that this is one of the larger deployments of its kind in the U.S. LNG feed gas transportation sector. This order represents the second batch of Frame 5/2E centrifugal compressor units purchased for Cloud Connector, and upon completion, the total number of systems of the same type providing feed gas transmission services for Plaquemines LNG will reach 23.

The two contracts correspond to two key engineering segments of the Plaquemines expansion project—upstream feed gas transmission and on-site liquefaction—forming an equipment supply chain of "Cloud Connector pipeline gas transmission—compression and pressurization—Plaquemines expansion liquefaction." Baker Hughes is not only supplying pipeline compressor units but also entering the core equipment package for the liquefaction process, with its supply scope spanning both natural gas transmission and LNG production systems.

The existing Plaquemines project is located in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, and is currently still in the construction, commissioning, and export phase. Venture Global's latest disclosure shows that the existing Plaquemines Phase 1 is scheduled to reach commercial operation in the fourth quarter of 2026, with Phase 2 targeted to reach commercial operation by mid-2027. Meanwhile, the company is advancing a new expansion project at Plaquemines, having submitted an application to the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Department of Energy for an additional 31 million tonnes per annum of capacity, and plans to make a final investment decision in the first half of 2027 after obtaining regulatory approval, with a target of first LNG in 2029.

Venture Global recently supplemented pre-development funding for both the Plaquemines and CP2 expansion projects. On September 2, the company's Venture Global LNG completed a $3 billion, 364-day secured revolving credit facility, the proceeds of which can be used for certain pre-FID project expenditures for the Plaquemines and CP2 expansion projects. As a result, the Plaquemines expansion is simultaneously advancing permitting, pre-development financing, and key equipment locking, but at this stage it remains pre-FID and cannot be described as having been formally approved for full-scale construction.

Baker Hughes had previously secured liquefaction equipment orders for multiple Venture Global LNG projects. In July, the company had just received an order for six liquefaction blocks, comprising a total of 12 liquefaction modules, for the CP2 LNG expansion project, with the equipment configuration likewise including single mixed refrigerant liquefaction modules, centrifugal compressors, cold boxes, air coolers, and a control system. With the addition of four liquefaction blocks at Plaquemines, Baker Hughes' cooperation with Venture Global now covers projects including Calcasieu Pass, Plaquemines, and CP2, supporting existing and planned LNG capacity of more than 100 million tonnes per annum.