FERC has given final environmental clearance to ExxonMobil Corp. affiliates for the Vista del Sol liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal and associated pipeline facilities near Corpus Christi.

“Approval of the proposed project with appropriate mitigating measures as recommended would have limited adverse environmental impact,” the Commission staff said in its final environmental impact statement on the Vista del Sol LNG terminal and Vista del Sol pipeline [CP04-395, CP04-405]. FERC issued a favorable draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) in December 2004.

The $600 million terminal project, to be built by Vista del Sol LNG Terminal LP, would be located in San Patricio County in South Texas, about two miles west of Ingleside along the Gulf Coast. The terminal would process imported LNG for distribution throughout Texas and the United States, and should take about three years to build and is expected to be operational by 2008 or 2009.

The terminal would include vaporization facilities that have average sendout capacity of 1.1 Bcf/d, with a maximum sendout capacity of 1.4 Bcf/d, as well as three full containment LNG storage tanks. The project also would include a 25.3-mile long, 36-inch diameter natural gas sendout pipeline, with interconnects to nine existing pipeline systems. The pipeline would be built by Vista del Sol Pipeline LP.

ExxonMobil’s LNG supply is expected to come from Qatar. In October 2004, the Dallas, TX-based producer and Qatar Petroleum announced an agreement to supply 15.6 million tons of LNG, or 2 Bcf/d, to the U.S. for 25 years.

ExxonMobil also is seeking FERC approval to build another 1 Bcf/d LNG terminal (Golden Pass LNG) just south of Port Arthur, TX. The project, which received a favorable DEIS in March 2005, is expected to be in service by late 2008.

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