The proposed Port Arthur, TX Liquefaction Project, Texas Connector Project and Louisiana Connector Project took a step closer to reality Thursday when FERC staff issued a final environmental impact statement (FEIS) for the interrelated projects.

Construction and operation of the projects would result in some adverse environmental impacts, but they would be reduced to less-than-significant levels, staff said in the FEIS.

Sempra Energy began the prefiling process for the Port Arthur LNG project and associated natural gas pipelines in March 2015 [CP17-20]. A draft EIS for the projects was released by FERC in September.

The project would include two liquefaction trains, each with a total export capability of 6.73 million metric tons/year (mmty); two 160,000-cubic-meter storage tanks; marine facilities for vessel berthing and loading; natural gas liquids and refrigerant storage; feed gas pre-treatment; truck loading and unloading areas; and combustion turbine generators for self-generation of electricity.

The FEIS comes 15 months after Sempra’s Port Arthur Pipeline LLC requested that FERC issue a certificate of public convenience and necessity for its proposed $1.2 billion Louisiana Connector Project, which would supply feed gas to the Port Arthur facility [CP18-7]. Plans call for construction of 131 miles of 42-inch diameter pipeline, with a capacity of 2 MMcf/d. It also includes a compressor station in Allen Parish, LA, interconnections with eight interstate and intrastate natural gas facilities, and other appurtenant facilities.

The Texas Connector Project would include 34 miles of 42-inch diameter pipeline to bring feed gas to liquefaction facilities [CP17-21].

In September, FERC issued environmental schedules for a dozen pending LNG terminal projects, including Port Arthur. FERC also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to coordinate the siting and safety review of FERC-jurisdictional LNG facilities.

Since then, in addition to the Port Arthur project, FERC has issued DEIS for Eagle LNG Partners’ Jacksonville project [CP17-41]; the Gulf LNG Liquefaction Project planned for Jackson County, MS [CP15-521]; the Plaquemines LNG and Gator Express Pipeline project 30 miles south of New Orleans [CP17-67]; the Driftwood LNG project near Lake Charles, LA [CP17-117 and CP17-118]; Texas LNG Brownsville LLC‘s proposal for an LNG export terminal at the Port of Brownsville [CP16-116]; the Annova LNG Brownsville project [CP16-480]; and NextDecade Corp.’s Rio Grande LNG project at the Port of Brownsville [CP16-454].