Oil and Gas
$1B Louisiana-to-Texas Gas Pipeline Reaches Finish
The 72-mile connector will supply the $13B Port Arthur LNG terminal set to open in 2027 and 2028
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Sempra Infrastructure said last month that its 72-mile Port Arthur Pipeline Louisiana Connector project had completed and was placed in service. Originating in southwest Louisiana, it is set to supply natural gas to the first phase of the Port Arthur LNG export terminal east of Houston, when construction of that facility's two trains completes in 2027 and 2028. HDR served as consultant for detailed design of the 42-in.-dia.line's trenchless work, and its geotechnical engineering and construction.
The owner estimated cost of the pipeline project at about $1 billion,
Elements include a compressor station in Beauregard Parish, La., and 18 trenchless crossings that total more than 57,000 ft, "making it a significant trenchless project," said Paul Bearden Jr., HDR trenchless services program leader. The initial southern half of the alignment includes about 34 miles in marshland and water. Of 13 water crossings using horizontal directional drilling, the longest spanned 6,874 ft, he said.
With a constrained jobsite, HDR's design team strategically configured pipe stringing and assembly to fit the limited available footprint, according to Bearden. "Handling the larger-diameter pipeline with heavy wall pipe [0.864-in.] required proper planning and additional equipment in some instances, making some of the crossings more challenging than others," he noted.
Route modifications also minimized some environmental effects, including a net decrease of 10.6 acres of construction impact and 9.5 acres of operational impacts to wetlands, according to Bearden/
450MW
Capacity of Northeastern U5/6 Simple Cycle Gas Turbine project in Oologah, Okla. for
which Worley won a design contract from
utility America Electric Power under a master services agreement. Project cost is estimated at nearly $540 million, with first power generation set for September 2028.
Source: Worley May announcement
With a maximum allowable operating pressure of 1,440 psi, the pipeline is designed to supply 2 billion cu ft per day of feed gas to meet LNG process demand for the Port Arthur terminal's liquefaction trains. Other pipeline project contractors included Onward Resources, Troy Construction, MAXX HDD, Michels, HardRock Infrastructure Services and North Country Directional Drilling.
The new line also aims to supply added natural gas storage capacity being built in Louisiana by interconnecting with Sempra's existing Gillis Hub pipeline in the southwest Louisiana energy corridor.
When completed, Port Arthur LNG Phase 1 will be able to process and ship up to 13 million metric tons per year of LNG, says Sempra Infrastructure. Bechtel is that facility's EPC contractor, with project cost estimated at $13 billion. The project team also is executing a large marshland restoration project this summer. Terminal construction was temporarily suspended in 2025 when a scaffold collapse at the site killed three Bechtel workers and injured two others. According to recent news reports, court filings indicate a possible settlement reached in one subsequent lawsuit. No settlement details were released.
