Here’s what we know about Rio Grande LNG’s massive expansion plans in Brownsville

Houston-based NextDecade Corp. is seeking federal approval to expand its Rio Grande LNG export terminal along the Brownsville Ship Channel with a proposed sixth liquefaction train.

The company held a public open house in Port Isabel this week ahead of the public comment deadline, as the proposed expansion requires approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), including review of environmental mitigation plans.

A liquefaction train is a processing facility that takes natural gas from a pipeline and both compresses and supercools it. The final product, liquefied natural gas (LNG), is a supercooled product often exported overseas as an alternative energy source to nations without domestic energy extraction industries, such as many European and Asian countries. 

Supporters of the LNG export terminal at the meeting included companies inside the Port of Brownsville, which benefit from increased ship traffic. 

Even during construction, which began in 2023, Rio Grande LNG and its contractors have already been bringing more cargo through the ship channel. That means more business for companies like Brownsville Mooring LLC, which tie down ships to dock. 

“It’s great because it means more work for my workers and their families,” said Patrick Alvarez, owner of Brownsville Mooring LLC. “We’re really blessed. Before this project, there weren’t really any as big in scope as this one. They made this channel in the 1920s, and we’re finally starting to utilize the channel for its purpose.” 

Five liquefaction trains are currently under construction. The sixth train is in the permitting process. Trains seven and eight are in planning and development.

The export terminal has space for 10 liquefaction trains on a nearly 1,000-acre site, with a capacity of 60 million tonnes of LNG per year. 

Rio Grande LNG expects to spend $30 billion for trains one through five along the Brownsville Shipping Channel. 

“Each train will produce 6 million tonnes per annum of LNG, and they’re all the same size, they use the same engineering, so they’re almost identical to each other,” said Susan Richardson, senior director of communications for NextDecade. 

There are about 5,500 employees working at the construction site, and 73% of workers live in the Rio Grande Valley, according to the company. 

Rio Grande LNG estimates it has worked with 189 local businesses and invested $400 million in the local supply chain. 

Richardson said the company has already committed to environmental mitigation of more than 4,000 acres – nearly five times the scale of the project site.

That includes the 1,500-acre Las Lomas Ecological Preserve across from the export terminal, which was purchased from the Brownsville Navigation District and converted into conservation land.

In 2025, the company also completed environmental mitigation work at Miradores, creating 350 acres of wetlands on a 1,500-acre site under conservation. 

NextDecade already has several long-term contracts to export various volumes of LNG to companies such as ConocoPhillips, JERA, and EQT Corporation.

As a result of those contracts, four liquefaction trains are under construction, and the company approved a final investment decision for a fifth train in late 2025. The first train should be built by 2027. 

The project is expected to last many more years as it expands in scope. 

For example, train No. 6 isn’t projected to go online until 2032. 

Next Carbon Solutions is also collaborating with Rio Grande LNG to develop a potential carbon capture and storage project at the same location, but there is no timeline for construction, according to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings. Carbon capture, also known as carbon sequestration, is a process where carbon dioxide is pulled from the local atmosphere and stored underground in salt caves, often under wetlands permanently. 

Rio Grande LNG says they’re still committed to the carbon capture project, but it’s unclear when that would be built. 

Not everyone at the meeting was eager to see the project expand. 

The South Texas Environmental Justice Network held signs outside the Port Isabel Cultural Center to protest the event. The local environmental justice organization, the nationwide Sierra Club, and the Carrizo Comecrudo Tribe of Texas joined the city of Port Isabel in opposition to the LNG export terminal, according to FERC filings. 

For example, the city argues that tourism may be affected by nearby industrial development. 

“Visitors to the city will pass by the project before arriving, and elements of the project will be visible from the city,” according to a protest letter the City of Port Isabel filed with FERC. “As a community dependent on tourist spending, the aesthetic appeal of the surrounding area is economically vital.”

The letter also raises concerns about local industries and municipal revenue.

“City residents employed in the fishing and tourism industries use waters and natural environments that may be impacted by the project,” the filing states. “Any decline in property values or tourist visits will result in economic harm to the city.”

Some residents feel somewhere in between about the project and are still keeping tabs on its progress. Like Shannon Ostos, vice president of a shipping logistics company.

Ostos says she’s attended meetings with supporters and opponents of the project alike. 

“It’s always nice to hear both sides,” she said. “As far as the project goes, it’s immense. I’m from Brownsville, so driving out to the island is a real hassle. But change is good, and it’s progress. I would like Brownsville to have more job opportunities for the people who live here. It makes me feel comfortable to know that they must have gone through proper permitting and really some extensive research.”