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Organization and Nature of Operations
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12 Months Ended |
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Dec. 31, 2012
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| Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract] | |
| Organization and nature of operations |
ORGANIZATION AND NATURE OF OPERATIONS
Cheniere Energy, Inc., a Delaware corporation, is a Houston-based energy company primarily engaged in liquefied natural gas ("LNG") related businesses. We own and operate the Sabine Pass liquefied natural gas ("LNG") terminal in Louisiana through our 59.5% ownership interest in and management agreements with Cheniere Energy Partners, L.P. ("Cheniere Partners") (NYSE MKT: CQP), which is a publicly traded partnership that we created in 2007. The Sabine Pass LNG terminal is located on the Sabine Pass deep water shipping channel less than four miles from the Gulf Coast. The Sabine Pass LNG terminal has regasification facilities owned by Cheniere Partners' wholly owned subsidiary, Sabine Pass LNG, L.P. ("Sabine Pass LNG") that includes existing infrastructure of five LNG storage tanks with capacity of approximately 16.9 Bcfe, two docks that can accommodate vessels of up to 265,000 cubic meters and vaporizers with regasification capacity of approximately 4.0 Bcf/d. Cheniere Partners is developing natural gas liquefaction facilities (the "Liquefaction Project") at the Sabine Pass LNG terminal adjacent to the existing regasification facilities through a wholly owned subsidiary, Sabine Pass Liquefaction, LLC ("Sabine Pass Liquefaction"). We plan to construct up to six Trains (each in sequence, "Train 1", "Train 2", "Train 3", "Train 4", "Train 5" and "Train 6"), which are in various stages of development. Each Train has a nominal production capacity of approximately 4.5 mmtpa.
We also own and operate the Creole Trail Pipeline, which interconnects the Sabine Pass LNG terminal with natural gas markets in North America. Approximately one-half of the receiving capacity at the Sabine Pass LNG terminal is contracted to two multinational energy companies. One of our subsidiaries, Cheniere Marketing, LLC ("Cheniere Marketing"), is marketing LNG and natural gas on its own behalf and on behalf of Cheniere Partners, in an effort to monetize the other half of the LNG receiving capacity at the Sabine Pass LNG terminal during construction of the Liquefaction Project.
We are in various stages of developing other projects, including LNG terminal and associated pipeline related projects, each of which, among other things, will require acceptable commercial and financing arrangements before we make a final investment decision.
Unless the context requires otherwise, references to the "Company", "Cheniere", "we", "us" and "our" refer to Cheniere Energy, Inc. and its subsidiaries, including our publicly traded subsidiary partnership, Cheniere Partners.
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