OREANDA-NEWS. GE (NYSE: GE) and Sabine Pass Liquefaction, a subsidiary of Cheniere Energy Partners, L.P. (“Cheniere Partners”) (NYSE MKT: CQP), announced today that they have entered into a \$1 billion, 20+-year service contract under which GE will provide spare parts and planned inspections, maintenance services and round-the-clock technical support for the gas turbines and refrigerant compressors on the first four LNG trains currently under construction at the Sabine Pass LNG export facility. Each train will have six gas turbines and is expected to have nominal capacity to produce approximately 4.5 million metric tons per annum (mtpa) of LNG.

“We need the right technology and service partner to support our facilities and ensure that we can deliver reliable production from our Sabine Pass LNG export facility. Our trains will have 24 GE gas turbines that will drive the refrigerant compressors,” said Keith Teague, president and COO, Cheniere Energy Partners, L.P. “GE’s ability to service the equipment and provide full on-site technical support to ensure optimal reliability was an important factor in our selection. Support for our terminal will come from their Houston, Cincinnati and Atlanta facilities as well as other locations across the United States.”

The shale revolution in America is driving substantial investments in energy infrastructure and growth of jobs for the economy. U.S. energy suppliers continue to capitalize on new technologies to extract resources needed to meet domestic and global energy demands as the U.S. prepares to become a net gas exporter in 2016, according to the Energy Information Administration.

“GE continues to be a major supporter of the U.S. LNG export boom,” said Rafael Santana, CEO & president—Turbomachinery Solutions for GE Oil & Gas. “The contract with Cheniere at Sabine Pass will support the production of approximately 18 million mtpa of LNG from the first four LNG trains. We're pleased that our well-proven technology was selected for the Sabine Pass Liquefaction facility and that Cheniere also will rely on our services expertise. We have been able to build a strong presence in the LNG sector by leveraging our technology and services for many of the world's leading LNG projects.”

The contract announced today will see GE provide services that cover all major maintenance for the first four LNG trains, including parts, repairs and field services as well as a resident team of 14 local experts including field and repair services to assist with all aspects of maintenance on the GE equipment. GE also will provide access to original parts, supported by the technical expertise of GE’s field engineers, which will ensure optimal reliability.

GE will be supplying services for the following products:

GE’s Oil & Gas Services 2.0 package will use its Predictivity technology for equipment monitoring and pre-emptive maintenance, maximizing uptime. The project also will benefit from the expertise of the Houston GE Oil & Gas iCenter, which features more than 11 million hours of machine data and is one of three global centers strategically set up in different time zones to ensure 24/7 monitoring and diagnostics services for GE Oil & Gas’ installed fleet.

About Cheniere Energy Partners, L.P.

Cheniere Partners owns and operates the existing Sabine Pass regasification terminal and the 94-mile Creole Trail Pipeline in southwestern Louisiana. Cheniere Partners is developing a liquefaction project adjacent to the Sabine Pass LNG terminal for up to six LNG trains with aggregate LNG export production volumes of approximately 27 mtpa. Construction has begun on LNG Trains 1 through 4. Trains 5 and 6 are in the permitting process, which is expected to be completed in 2015. 

About GE

GE (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter. The best people and the best technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building, powering, moving and curing the world. Not just imagining. Doing. GE works. 

About GE Oil & Gas

GE Oil & Gas works on the things that matter in the oil and gas industry. In collaboration with our customers, we push the boundaries of technology to bring energy to the world. From extraction to transportation to end use, we address today's toughest challenges in order to fuel the future.