Cheniere Energy announced the week before Christmas that it has plans for a Texas natural gas export facility near Corpus Christi and that it reached a supply agreement with an Indian company for gas exported from the Sabine Pass export terminal in Louisiana. Through its Corpus Christi Liquefaction subsidiary, the company began the regulatory process for getting approval to add a 2 Bcf/d export facility in the La Quinta Channel on the Northeast side of Corpus Christi Bay in San Patricio County, TX. An export facility where operators can lock in higher gas prices for extended periods would expand commercial development of the Eagle Ford further into the dry gas window.

Cheniere Energy also added a supply agreement at its Sabine Pass facility. The company and GAIL Limited have agreed to a 20 year deal where the Indian company will purchase 3.5 mtpa or close to 500 mmcfd of gas at a price indexed to Henry Hub. The contract begins with the first commercial delivery.

GAIL signed an Eagle Ford JV agreement with Carrizo in September of 2011 and the deal with Cheniere is a big step in ensuring the company realizes better natural gas prices. 

The Eagle Ford is largely supported by liquids (condensate, oil, NGLs) production, but better gas prices could open up the dry gas window to higher levels of development.

(Development) at one of Cheniere's existing sites that was previously permitted for a regasification terminal. The LNG export terminal site is located in San Patricio County, Texas, and it is anticipated that the terminal would be primarily supplied by reserves from the Eagle Ford Shale, located approximately sixty miles northwest of Corpus Christi. The proposed liquefaction project ("Corpus Christi Project") is being designed for up to three trains capable of producing in aggregate up to 13.5 million tonnes per annum ("mtpa").

Read more at cheniere.com

"GAIL will join BG and Gas Natural Fenosa as the next foundation customer for our Sabine Pass liquefaction project. GAIL is India's leading natural gas company and its largest shareholder is the Government of India," said Charif Souki, Chairman and CEO. "We are building a strong portfolio of customers, consisting of energy companies engaged in the natural gas, LNG and power markets with operations spanning the globe. We continue to hold advanced discussions with additional global LNG buyers and expect to complete commercial discussions for the remaining capacity of the second phase of the project, train three, in the coming weeks."

Read the entire press release at cheniere.com