HOUSTON, April 16, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ --Cheniere Energy Partners, L.P. ("Cheniere Partners") (NYSE Amex: CQP) announced today that its subsidiaries, Sabine Pass Liquefaction, LLC and Sabine Pass LNG, L.P. (collectively, " Sabine Pass"), have received authorization under Section 3 of the Natural Gas Act (the "Order") from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ("FERC") to site, construct and operate facilities for the liquefaction and export of domestically produced natural gas at the Sabine Pass LNG terminal ("Liquefaction Project") located in  Cameron Parish, Louisiana. The Order authorizes the development of up to four modular LNG trains.

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"Obtaining approval from the FERC is one more milestone for our Liquefaction Project," said  Charif Souki, Chairman and CEO. "We will now finalize the financing arrangements in order to commence construction of the first two LNG trains of our Liquefaction Project promptly."

Sabine Pass initiated FERC's National Environmental Policy Act pre-filing process for the Liquefaction Project in  July 2010, and submitted an application to the FERC for authorization to site, construct and operate the Liquefaction Project in  January 2011.

Cheniere Partners owns 100 percent of the Sabine Pass LNG receiving terminal located on the Sabine Pass Channel in western  Cameron Parish, Louisiana. The  Sabine Pass terminal has regasification and send-out capacity of 4.0 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) and storage capacity of 16.9 billion cubic feet equivalent (Bcfe). Cheniere Partners is developing a project to add liquefaction and export capabilities to the existing infrastructure at the Sabine Pass LNG terminal. As currently contemplated, the Liquefaction Project is being designed and permitted for up to four modular LNG trains, each with a nominal capacity of approximately 4.5 mtpa. The Liquefaction Project is expected to be constructed with each LNG train commencing operations approximately six to nine months after the previous train. In  November 2011, Sabine Liquefaction entered into a lump sum turnkey contract for the engineering, procurement and construction of the first two trains of the project with Bechtel Oil, Gas and Chemicals, Inc. Sabine Liquefaction has also entered into four long-term customer sale and purchase agreements ("SPAs") for 16.0 mtpa of LNG volumes, which represents approximately 89 percent of the nominal LNG volumes. The customers include BG Gulf Coast LNG, LLC ("BG") for 5.5 mtpa, Gas Natural Fenosa for 3.5 mtpa, KOGAS for 3.5 mtpa and GAIL ( India) Ltd. for 3.5 mtpa. The BG SPA commences with the start of train one operations and the Gas Natural Fenosa SPA commences with the start of train two operations. Commencement of construction for the first two trains is subject, but not limited to, Cheniere Partners obtaining financing and making a final investment decision. The KOGAS SPA commences with the start of train three operations and the GAIL ( India) Ltd. SPA commences with the start of train four operations. Commencement of construction for the third and fourth trains is subject, but not limited to, entering into an EPC contract, regulatory approvals, obtaining financing and Cheniere Partners making a final investment decision. Cheniere Partners has placed documentation pertaining to the Liquefaction Project, including the applications and supporting studies, on its website located at  http://www.cheniereenergypartners.com.