The Port of Corpus Christi, located 208 miles southwest of Houston, Texas, began operations in 1926. The port is a landowner, land developer and landlord, and strategically located near major Texas oil and gas production.
Increased midstream investments in recent years have improved dock capacity, as well as inbound pipe and storage capacity. The port is now the U.S.’ largest energy export gateway, with the Permian Basin in particular a key beneficiary.
The port boasted 7,736 vessel calls in 2022, contributing positive economic impacts, including state and local taxes, compared to 6,843 vessel calls in 2021.
Internationally, the port boasted the third largest oil exports in 2022 when it moved 1.94 MMbbl/d, only trailing the Ras Tanura port in Saudi Arabia (6.5 MMbbl/d) and the Basrah Oil Terminal in Iraq (3.45 MMbbl/d).
And while the port’s past has mainly been tied to oil and gas, its future will increasingly see renewables grow in importance.
Four wind parks—Harbor Wind, Midway and Papalote Creek I and II—are in close proximity to the port and have 248 turbines with a total rated capacity of 551.8 megawatts.
And in the future, the port also aims to offer centralized carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) options while also leasing port-owned pore space for CO2 injection and storage.
As the century mark approaches, the port’s mission is still simple: to remain the energy port of the Americas.
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