The Maritime Administration (MARAD) and the U.S. Coast Guard issued a notice in the Federal Register requesting comments on a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) on Suez’s proposed Neptune liquefied natural gas (LNG) deepwater port, which would be located about eight miles southeast of Gloucester, MA and 22 miles northeast of Boston. The project would include a subsea pipeline and a submerged buoy system that would surface to connect two cargo ships with onboard regasification. The 11-mile, 24-inch diameter pipeline would bring an average of 500 MMcf/d of regasified LNG to a connection with Algonquin’s HubLine pipeline in Boston Harbor. Construction would take about three years with commercial operation expected in 2009. The DEIS stated that using one pipeline system for the Neptune project and the competing Northeast Gateway offshore LNG project, sponsored by Excelerate Energy, would reduce the environmental impacts of both projects. The agencies considered the impacts of three proposed LNG import terminals: Neptune, Northeast Gateway and AES Battery Rock, which would be built on an island near the entrance to Boston Harbor. Public meetings on the Neptune DEIS will be held later this month in Massachusetts. For more information, go to MARAD’s website at http://www.marad.dot.gov/dwp/index.asp.
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Industry Brief
The U.S. Coast Guard and the Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced the cancellation of all actions related to the processing of a deepwater port license application for ExxonMobil’s proposed Pearl Crossing LNG Terminal offshore Louisiana. The action includes cancellation of all activities related to the preparation of an environmental impact statement (EIS) and is in response to ExxonMobil’s decision to withdraw the application. The company said earlier this year that it would pursue development of its proposed onshore terminals, which already have received certification from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. ExxonMobil spokesman Bob Davis said the main concern with the offshore terminal was the controversy over the open rack vaporization process, which uses large amounts of sea water to vaporize the LNG and may have undesirable environmental consequences. In a Federal Register notice, MARAD said the cancellation of all actions related to the application was effective Oct. 19. The $1 billion LNG project would have been located 41 miles off the coast of Louisiana in West Cameron Block 220 and would have included a 1 Bcf/d pipeline to the coast.
Industry Briefs
The U.S. Coast Guard and the Maritime Administration (MARAD) issued a request for comments in a Federal Register notice Thursday on Suez LNG’s proposed Neptune LNG project offshore Gloucester, MA. The Coast Guard intends to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) on the project, which is being planned about 22 miles northeast of Boston in federal waters. The deepwater port would be capable of mooring up to two 140,000 cubic meter capacity LNG carriers by means of a submerged unloading buoy system. The LNG carriers would be equipped to store, transport and vaporize LNG, and to odorize and meter natural gas, which would be delivered to the Algonquin HubLine system via an 11-mile 24-inch diameter pipeline. The notice requests public participation in the scoping process and provides information on how to participate. Public meetings will be held in Boston and Gloucester on Nov. 2 and Nov. 3, respectively. Material submitted in response to the request for comments for the scoping process must reach the docket management facility by Nov. 18. The facility’s phone number is (202) 366-9329, its fax is (202) 493-2251 and its website for electronic submissions is http://dms.dot.gov. For details contact Roddy Bachman at the U.S. Coast Guard at (202) 267-1752 or rbachman@comdt.uscg.mil.
Industry Briefs
The Coast Guard and the Maritime Administration (MARAD) issued a Federal Register notice on Friday announcing the availability of a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) on Freeport-McMoRan Energy LLC’s proposed Main Pass Energy Hub liquefied natural gas (LNG) deepwater port license application. The port would be located in the Gulf of Mexico in Main Pass Lease Block 299 at a former sulphur mining facility about 16 miles southeast of Venice, LA, in a water depth of 210 feet. It would utilize four existing platforms, bridges and other structures and would include construction of two additional platforms to support LNG storage tanks (totaling 145,000 cubic meters) and a ship berthing area. The project also would include construction of 192 miles of 12-36 inch diameter pipelines. Main Pass Energy Hub would be developed over an existing salt formation in which storage caverns will be developed with a capacity to store 28 Bcf of natural gas. The terminal is expected to vaporize and deliver 1 Bcf/d of natural gas. Three public meetings will be held on the project on July 18, 19 and 20 in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. A copy of the DEIS is available at http://dms.dot.gov under docket number 17696.
ConocoPhillips Files Another Offshore Gulf LNG Terminal
Despite about 50 Bcf/d of LNG import capacity planned in North America, new projects continue to be announced at a rapid clip. ConocoPhillips said Wednesday that it has submitted an application to the U.S. Coast Guard for construction of the Beacon Port Clean Energy Terminal in the federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico about 56 miles south of Louisiana.
U.S., Mexico Agree on Western Gap Treaty
The final remaining maritime boundary treaty between Mexico andthe United States, signed Friday by President Clinton and MexicanPresident Ernesto Zedillo, will give Mexico nearly two-thirds of amineral-rich area that is thought to contain huge amounts ofuntapped oil and gas. Known as the Western Gap, the area has servedas a platform between both countries in the western gap of the Gulfof Mexico, beyond the 200-mile range that officially definesnational territories.
Clinton Expected to Sign Western Gap Treaty
The final remaining maritime boundary treaty between Mexico andthe United States, which is expected to be signed by PresidentClinton and Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo this week, will giveMexico nearly two-thirds of a mineral-rich area that is thought tocontain huge amounts of untapped oil and gas. Known as the WesternGap, the area has served as a platform between both countries inthe western gap of the Gulf of Mexico, beyond the 200-mile rangethat officially defines national territories.
