Sempra Energy made progress in its plans to go forward with construction of a proposed liquefied natural gas facility.

Sempra Energy announced they have filled out applications with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, seeking authorization to build and operate the proposed Port Arthur LNG along the Sabine-Neches waterway.

Leaders in Port Arthur are excited about the announcement.

Brian McDougal, Port Arthur city manager, said this is good news for the city.

“Sempra is going to invest a lot of capital dollars here, and there will be many construction and full-time jobs from this project,” McDougal said.

Sempra is looking at building the facility along Texas 87, somewhere between the Intracoastal Canal Bridge and the Keith Lake Bridge.

Bill McCoy, president of the Greater Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce, said this project is a long time coming and that the city has been working with the company on the project.

“We are excited to hear they are moving forward and are confident in our city and in the strength of LNG (liquefied natural gas)” McCoy said.

It is estimated that the construction process will create an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 construction jobs with 200 permanent jobs for ongoing operations, according to an archive story from May 2015.

“We are pleased to continue advancing the Port Arthur LNG project,” Octavio Simoes, president of Sempra LNG and Midstream, said in a press release. “Our experience in developing, building and operating energy infrastructure will help us deliver a cost-competitive project to the global LNG market.”

The FERC application for the proposed project includes two natural gas liquefaction trains capable of producing, under optimal conditions, approximately 13.5 million metric tons per annum in the aggregate or approximately 698 billion cubic feet of natural gas per year; three LNG storage tanks; natural gas liquids and refrigerant storage; feed gas pre-treatment facilities; and two berths and associated marine and loading facilities.

A separate application was filed with FERC seeking authorization to build natural gas pipelines to deliver natural gas to the project, according to a press release from Sempra.

Sempra LNG and Midstream Energy signed a project development agreement in February 2016 that provides a framework for the sharing of costs related to the development, technical design, permitting and marketing of the proposed liquefaction project.

If Sempra is successful, it will be the third LNG project to be built in the area.

Sabine Pass’ Golden Pass LNG Terminal is among the largest terminals in the world, capable of importing approximately 2 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day, according to its website.

Cheniere Energy Partners is developing, constructing and operating a liquefaction project at Sabine Pass LNG terminal adjacent to the existing regasification facilities for up to six trains, with expected nominal production capacity of approximately 27.0 mtpa of LNG.