Rio Grande LNG held its first Vendor Open House of the year at the Brownsville Events Center. (Photo credit: Rio Grande LNG)BROWNSVILLE, Texas – The liquified natural gas export terminal NextDecade is building at the Port of Brownsville is on schedule and the first shipment of the commodity is to go out in the second quarter of 2027.
Officials with the Houston-based company have been meeting this week with area students and with business representatives and gave an update on the $18.4 billion project.
On Thursday, Feb. 13, they held a vendor open house and a demonstration of the safety of LNG at the Brownsville Events Center.
The purpose of the meeting was to help people explore the opportunities to become a supplier for the mega project that is now 30 percent completed under Phase 1.
Some 300 vendors signed up for the meeting, representing an array of businesses from both sides of the Rio Grande.
Susan Richardson, a NextDecade spokesperson, said some 60 people are now fully employed and the goal is to have a work force of 200 by year’s end.
Called Rio Grande LNG, the three trains terminal is one of the largest such enterprises developed by the private sector in the state.
The liquefied natural gas will be transported in carriers having four walls of steel for markets to Europe and in Asia.
And because of the type of component handled and shipped from West Texas to the terminals under construction along Texas Highway 48, company officials keep pinpointing the product safety.
On Thursday, Patrick Couch gave a presentation using a beach ball, a test tube, a flame and other objects to show some of the qualities LNG has.
He said LNG is cryogenic liquid, it’s colorless, odorless, and non-toxic and it’s both lighter than air and less dense than water.
And during a question and answer session held at the end of demonstration, some of the participants wanted to know a number of things about LNG.
They asked how the natural gas compares to propane, what is the percentage of evaporation and the estimated value of each LNG shipment.
Propane has a higher energy density, is more expansive and requires storage in pressurized tanks whereas LNG is stored in larger, specialized cryogenic tanks due to its extreme low temperature.
As to its evaporation, it’s at a minimum and, as to the value of each shipment, it will be in accordance to the current the market prices in a particular year but it’s estimated at several million bucks.
Rio Grande LNG later issued this statement on social media:
“We would like to extend our sincerest thanks to everyone who joined us for our first set of LNG Safety Demonstrations and Open Houses of 2025.
“Thank you to the Brownsville Chamber for co-hosting our first Vendor Open House to provide local business owners valuable insight into our supply chain processes and potential goods and services needs for Rio Grande LNG’s operation and maintenance.
“We would also like to thank Workforce Solutions Cameron for including us in their LIFT LNG Convention and Point Isabel ISD Tarpons for hosting us at Port Isabel High School for another great opportunity to connect with local ISDs to share information about all the amazing career opportunities coming to the Rio Grande Valley.”