What does the $1 billion buy?

Sempra Infrastructure's 72-mile Port Arthur Pipeline Louisiana Connector entered service last month, delivering the feed-gas artery that will supply the first phase of the Port Arthur LNG export terminal east of Houston when its two liquefaction trains reach completion in 2027 and 2028. Sempra put project cost at about $1 billion.

The 42-in.-diameter line originates in southwest Louisiana and runs to the Texas Gulf Coast terminal site. Maximum allowable operating pressure sits at 1,440 psi, and design throughput is 2 billion cubic feet per day of feed gas to meet LNG process demand across both Phase 1 trains.

How was the route built?

HDR served as consultant for detailed design of the trenchless work, the geotechnical engineering, and construction. Project elements include a compressor station in Beauregard Parish, La., and 18 trenchless crossings that total more than 57,000 ft.

"It's a significant trenchless project," said Paul Bearden Jr., HDR trenchless services program leader.

The initial southern half of the alignment covers about 34 miles in marshland and water. Of 13 water crossings executed with horizontal directional drilling, the longest spanned 6,874 ft, Bearden said.

Heavy-wall pipe at 0.864-in. wall thickness required specialized handling. The design team configured pipe stringing and assembly to fit a constrained jobsite footprint, according to Bearden.

"Handling the larger-diameter pipeline with heavy wall pipe required proper planning and additional equipment in some instances, making some of the crossings more challenging than others," he noted.

Route modifications reduced construction impact on wetlands by a net 10.6 acres and operational impact by 9.5 acres, Sempra said. Other contractors on the pipeline included Onward Resources, Troy Construction, MAXX HDD, Michels, HardRock Infrastructure Services, and North Country Directional Drilling.

What does it tie into?

The connector taps Sempra's existing Gillis Hub pipeline in the southwest Louisiana energy corridor, with the new line sized to add supply to gas storage capacity under construction in the state.

Port Arthur LNG Phase 1, when finished, will be able to process and ship up to 13 million metric tons per year of LNG. Bechtel holds the EPC contract on the terminal, with overall project cost estimated at $13 billion.

What safety record hangs over the site?

Work at the terminal was temporarily suspended in 2025 after a scaffold collapse killed three Bechtel workers and injured two others. Recent court filings indicate a possible settlement in one subsequent lawsuit; no settlement details were released. Sempra and the project team are also executing a large marshland restoration project this summer at the terminal site.

What else is moving on the U.S. build sheet?

Worley won a design contract under a master services agreement with American Electric Power for the 450-MW Northeastern U5/6 Simple Cycle Gas Turbine project in Oologah, Okla. Owner AEP estimates project cost at nearly $540 million, with first power generation scheduled for September 2028.

The watch item

The next milestone is mechanical completion of Train 1 at Port Arthur LNG, targeted for 2027. That date sets the demand curve the Louisiana Connector is built to serve.