ChevronTexaco has reported that it will delay initial service from its two liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminals, the Port Pelican terminal located 40 miles offshore Louisiana in Vermilion Block 140 and its Terminal GNL Mar Adentro located offshore Baja California Norte. Both projects had been planned for service in 2007, but now the company is projecting in-service dates later this decade to coincide with the operation of upstream liquefaction projects.

ChevronTexaco spokesman Matt Carmichael said it would be false to say that either of the projects have been put on hold. “That’s simply not correct,” said Carmichael. “What we are going to do is we’re going to progress our regasification projects on schedules consistent with our upstream natural gas supply projects, which are expected later on this decade.

“We are timing Port Pelican and [our Terminal GNL Mar Adentro, offshore Baja California Norte] on the same timeline as our upstream natural gas supply projects,” he said. “It’s not prudent for ChevronTexaco to put a completion date on [these projects] until it is consistent with securing LNG supply.”

The $800 million Port Pelican terminal will be capable of delivering up to 1.6 Bcf/d of regasified LNG to U.S. gas markets along the Gulf Coast. Now, however, it may not be operational until 2009. Carmichael said the company is working on securing gas supply agreements and still needs several permits for the onshore construction base near Corpus Christi. Port Pelican already has received final authorizations from the Coast Guard. The terminal potentially could receive LNG from three proposed liquefaction terminals in Angola, Nigeria and Venezuela. The Angola and Nigeria liquefaction projects won’t be operational until 2009.

Terminal GNL Mar Adentro has received one of three federal permits from the Mexican government. The $650 million terminal will be located about eight miles offshore Tijuana near the Coronado Islands. It is expected to have an average sendout of 0.75 Bcf/d with peak sendout at 1.4 Bcf/d. It also will have storage capacity for 250,000 cubic meters of gas. ChevronTexaco plans to transport LNG from the Gorgon gas fields off Western Australia to the Baja California terminal using double-hulled LNG carriers, but the Gorgon liquefaction project also will not be operational until 2009 or 2010.

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