Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

William Gurrola said the team behind Port Arthur LNG is working “very diligently” to align its investments with what is needed by the community.

“Everyday we are sitting with community leaders, community participants with the schools and building those partnerships and relationships,” he said. “The only way you can expect to be around is becoming part of the neighborhood. We are very honored to be doing this project in Port Arthur.”

That was the message in early March when production and construction officials celebrated a one-year milestone for the project with a groundbreaking ceremony in Sabine Pass.

Those words are turning to action April 11 when Port Arthur LNG celebrates the community’s Environmental Champions with a celebration at the Museum of the Gulf Coast.

In an effort supported through a panews.com application process, Port Arthur LNG is awarding more than $50,000 in grants to local community-based nonprofits and schools.

This is the third year in a row the Port Arthur News teamed up with Port Arthur LNG to help promote and champion the area’s community-driven leaders.

“We’re here to stay for the long term,” said Gurrola, Port Arthur LNG general manager. “This is something that is critical infrastructure for the company, for the region. In the times we are living today, LNG is basically bridging the gap between the U.S. and U.S. allies in Europe.”

The project

Port Arthur Phase 1 is under construction, and the development of the Phase 2 project could increase the total liquefaction capacity of the facility from approximately 13 million tonnes per annum to approximately 26 million.

Port Arthur LNG Phase 1 is designed to include two natural gas liquefaction trains, two LNG storage tanks and associated facilities.

“We have a long job to do here with the construction. We still have four years to go,” Gurrola said.

“We are going to be starting operations around 2027 for the first train and 2028 for the second train of LNG and have 20- to 30-year operations. This is obviously a long-term asset for the region, and one of the critical things we focus on is making sure everything we do touches the community in a positive way.”

Sempra Infrastructure is working to develop the proposed Port Arthur Pipeline Texas Connector project, the proposed Port Arthur Pipeline Louisiana Connector project and develop new gas storage facilities, all of which would serve the Port Arthur LNG facility.

To further the advancement of the Port Arthur Energy Hub, the company acquired 38,000 acres of pore space and relevant surface rights to support the proposed Titan Carbon Sequestration project, which is proximal in location to the Port Arthur LNG facility.

The project targets capturing carbon from Sempra Infrastructure’s Port Arthur LNG Phase 1 and 2 projects that are under development and has the potential to unlock other net-zero energy infrastructure opportunities.

The potential comprehensive development would enhance the total value of Port Arthur project and deliver significant value for the local community, opening up substantial avenues for economic growth opportunities for the region, company officials say.

“One of our guiding principals at Sempra Infrastructure is sustainability. It permeates in our culture. We are taking active steps to lowering our carbon footprint across our portfolio. Port Arthur is not any different,” Gurrola said.

“As an example, we are developing our carbon sequestration project — Titan, which is in proximity to our facility here. The intention is to remove the CO2 from the feed gas that is coming into the facility and capture and store it underground. That lowers our carbon intensity for LNG offering across the world.”