Officials with the Jordan Cove liquefied natural gas (LNG) project along Oregon’s south-central coast said they will seek to make the LNG facility and its 1.2 Bcf/d connecting transmission pipeline a dual export-import project, which will mean the pipeline flow will be reversible.

“Yes, we have made the decision to pursue the development of a dual-use LNG facility based upon the strong indications of interest from prospective terminal capacity holders,” Jordan Cove Project Manager Bob Braddock told NGI Friday. “While we have not reached any firm agreements for the terminal capacity, we feel strongly that these commitments can be reached within the next few months.”

Braddock said Jordan Cove is now “cautiously proceeding” with “the critical steps necessary to secure all of the approvals and consents” needed to construct and operate Jordan Cove in dual-use configuration. That is anticipated to be a two-year process.

Like Jordan Cove, the related 234-mile, 36-inch diameter Pacific Connector Pipeline Project has approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), but it is working its way through various state and federal land-use and environmental permitting processes that will take at least another 12 to 15 months, according to Braddock. The switch to an export location won’t change much for the consortium pipeline, he said.

Pacific Connector previously entered into agreements with seven customers for the full capacity of the pipeline. The proposed pipeline is a limited partnership of Williams Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline LLC, PG&E Strategic Capital Inc. and an affiliate of Fort Chicago Energy Partners, Fort Chicago LNG II US LP (see Daily GPI, Sept. 30). Fort Chicago is the main backer of the LNG project.

On Thursday a Jordan Cove project official told the World Shale Gas Conference in Houston his company’s project would likely be exporting gas to the Asian markets by the third quarter of 2017. The pipeline, which could be increased to 1.7 Bcf/d capacity, will reverse its flow, picking up supplies at Malin, OR, that in turn would be shipped to the liquefaction facilities for export.

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