The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is questioning the need to build two pipelines to transport regasified gas from proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities in the Bahamas to southern Florida. It believes that “some consolidation” of the proposed Tractebel Calypso Pipeline and AES Ocean Express Pipeline projects is warranted.

“It remains somewhat unclear if both the…Calypso pipeline and the proposed Ocean Express pipeline…are in competition (presumed) or are both needed at this time,” the agency said in its review of FERC’s final environmental impact statement (FEIS) on the Tractebel Calypso project [CP01-409].

However, “if both are needed and are to be constructed,” the EPA suggested that “some consolidation (e.g. co-location on one well-conceived alignment) would on balance be beneficial to the environment by minimizing habitat disruption when compared to different alignments” for each pipeline.

Previously, the EPA noted that it was advised by FERC that the “marine impact would be essentially doubled regardless of whether the two pipelines were co-located.” In addition, the Commission said co-location of the two Bahamas-to-Florida pipeline projects was infeasible since they “would originate from widely distant points,” and it could raise safety concerns, the agency reported.

“We agree that there are disadvantages associated with utility co-location; however, we maintain that the level of environmental disruption of one carefully selected ‘best-fit’ alignment — even if at a breadth wide enough to safely accommodate two separate pipelines — would typically be environmentally preferable to the level of disruption for two separate alignments,” the EPA countered.

Different alignments for the Tractebel Calypso and AES Ocean Express pipelines “would also not seem necessary if the applicants and the Bahamian government (with FERC oversight) could agree to consolidate [the] projects.”

It acknowledged that not all of the proposed Bahamas-to-Florida pipeline projects would be good candidates for consolidation. The EPA cited Paso’s proposed Seafarer pipeline, which would make landfall further north of Port Everglades in Florida, as an example.

“The Calypso and Ocean Express pipelines, however, would have a common landfall at Port Everglades [and] could conceivably be consolidated,” the EPA said.

In January, AES Ocean Express received a presidential permit and authorizations from FERC to build the 54-mile U.S. leg of the pipeline that would transport 842 MMcf/d of gas from proposed LNG facilities in the Bahamas to southern Florida. The $440 million pipeline would interconnect with Florida Gas Transmission (FGT) and Florida Power and Light’s distribution system near its Fort Lauderdale power plant.

FERC in January also awarded final environmental clearance to Tractebel Calypso Pipeline LLC for its proposed $132 million pipeline project, which would transport up to 832 MMcf/d to a connection with FGT. The 42-mile project is awaiting a final certificate from the Commission.

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