Enbridge seeks to expand its LNG infrastructure through the TTC Connector, a connection intended to integrate storage, pipelines and export capacity in Texas.
The Canadian company Enbridge continues to strengthen its image within the supply chain US liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply the company signed an exclusive option to acquire the TTC Connector, a gas pipeline that will connect its Tres Palacios storage facility to the infrastructure that supplies gas to Freeport LNG.
With this transaction, Enbridge seeks to more directly integrate its storage and transmission assets with one of the leading US hubs. LNG export the project is being developed at a time of expansion of the gas infrastructure on the Gulf Coast.
TTC Connector will connect Tres Palacios with Freeport LNG
Currently under construction, the TTC Connector will be approximately 40 kilometers long and have the capacity to transport 300 million cubic feet of natural gas per day. It is scheduled to enter service by the end of 2026.
The infrastructure will connect the Tres Palacios storage facility to the Coastal Bend Header pipeline, from there, the gas can be incorporated into the corridor that supplies the Freeport LNG export terminal in Texas.
In this way, the project will function as a last-mile connection within the chain of LNG supply its role will be to link storage capacity with transmission infrastructure geared towards the export market.
Freeport LNG reinforces the strategic value of the connection
Furthermore, the location of the TTC Connector is relevant due to its connection with Freeport LNG, the terminal is located on Quintana Island in Brazoria County, Texas, and is among the largest operational facilities of LNG export.
Freeport LNG has the capacity to process and move around 2.23 billion cubic feet of gas per day, equivalent to about 17 million tons of LNG per year.
Thus, having a connection between storage and this export infrastructure could expand the alternatives for moving gas to the international market.
Enbridge expands its gas storage on the Gulf Coast
While advancing its LNG infrastructure strategy, Enbridge is also increasing its capacity to natural gas storage in the region. The company already controlled around 10% of the available storage capacity on the U.S. Gulf Coast.
The company has announced expansions at three facilities, Egan, Louisiana, will add 16 billion cubic feet, while Moss Bluff, Texas, will add another 7 billion. Tres Palacios will add 25 billion cubic feet.
Combined, these expansions represent approximately 50 billion cubic feet of additional capacity, Enbridge it projects that its four storage facilities on the Gulf Coast will reach approximately 150 billion cubic feet by 2033.
LNG storage, transmission and export are integrated
Furthermore, the TTC Connector reflects a trend toward greater integration of the midstream infrastructure associated with US LNG. Storage allows for gas availability, while transmission systems facilitate its transport to coastal export terminals.
Matthew Akman, executive vice president and president of Enbridge’s gas transmission business, highlighted that the company has nearly 50 billion cubic feet in expansion projects within its own Gulf Coast storage facilities.
For her part, Elizabeth Perez, director of Intrastate Business Development at Enbridge Gas Transmission, described the TTC Connector as a last-mile LNG supply project.
Perez also noted that the project demonstrates the growing integration between storage, transmission, and export terminals in response to the increasing international demand for US LNG.
The eventual addition of the TTC Connector would give Enbridge another link to connect its storage capacity to Texas’ export infrastructure. Its planned commissioning by the end of 2026 will mark the next operational milestone for this project within the Gulf Coast gas network.
Fountain: Offshore Energy
Photo: Freeport LNG
