Second LNG export terminal appears headed for Port of Brownsville, with thousands of jobs at stake

A second liquefied natural gas export terminal is likely headed to the Port of Brownsville, where it could generate 4,000 to 5,000 jobs, the head of the Greater Brownsville Economic Development Corp. told the Rio Grande Valley Business Journal.

Texas LNG is advancing its final investment decision for its proposed site in Cameron County, Gilberto Salinas, president and CEO of the Greater Brownsville EDC said in a recent RGV Business Journal podcast. 

“So, everything is moving in the direction that they’ll be breaking ground in 2026,” Salinas said. “From what we’ve gathered, yeah, they’re coming in as well. So I can just imagine what it’s going to look like once you pair up the next one.”

If finalized, Texas LNG would become the second LNG export terminal anchored at the Port of Brownsville, further cementing the Rio Grande Valley as one of Texas’ fastest-growing energy and industrial corridors.

The scale of development underway in Brownsville is significant, Salinas said.

“In our pipeline of… our top ten projects, we’re looking at about $20 billion in capital investment and 25,000 jobs over the next ten years,” he said about potential incoming projects.

A second LNG terminal and its scale

Salinas said the LNG export terminal already under construction at the port is expected to peak at about 7,000 workers and later add another 10,000 employees as activity expands.

The second terminal — Texas LNG — could bring an additional 4,000 to 5,000 jobs if it moves forward.

The magnitude of that growth, Salinas said, is already visible on the ground.

“You go out there… you start seeing all these lights, and, you know, the closer you get, this LNG plant just starts to get bigger and bigger,” he said. “It looks like the death star out there. And so it’s just, it’s literally they’re building a city out there and you see it when it’s at night.”

“That’s just the first one there,” Salinas added.

Energy, aerospace, and advanced manufacturing

Salinas said LNG development is occurring alongside SpaceX’s expansion at Starbase, and a growing base of advanced manufacturers and suppliers.

“Big names, big brands, draw other big brands,” he said. 

He noted that global suppliers are already following anchor projects into Brownsville, including Linde, a Europe-based industrial gas company that is building a major facility in Brownsville.

“So they came in with a 100-plus million dollar capital investment,” Salinas said, adding that the company recently arrived to the area. “They just got here and they’re getting ready to expand.”

Linde, he added, is a Tier 1 supplier to SpaceX, producing industrial gases used in rocket operations.