Veresen Inc. has filed an application with Canada’s National Energy Board (NEB) for a long-term license to export natural gas from Canada to the United States to supply its proposed Jordan Cove liquefied natural gas (LNG) project at Coos Bay, OR, the Calgary-based company said Tuesday.

The application requests an export volume of 1.55 Bcf/d for 25 years, which would translate into 9 million metric tons/year (mmty) of export capacity from the Jordan Cove terminal. While the initial liquefaction design capacity of the facility is 6 mmty, an expansion to 9 mmt/y is possible, Veresen said.

Canadian gas would reach the Jordan Cove liquefaction terminal via existing pipeline and gathering networks to the Malin trading hub in southern Oregon and then be transported through the Pacific Connector, a 232-mile, 36-inch proposed pipeline owned equally by Veresen and Williams (seeDaily GPI, June 7).

“Our NEB export license application is a key regulatory milestone in the development of our Jordan Cove LNG project,” said Veresen CEO Don Althoff. “By providing Western Canadian producers with access to large new markets, primarily utilizing existing natural gas infrastructure, our LNG project is well-positioned to create long-term value for the energy industry. In addition, customers of Jordan Cove will benefit from our tolling model and maintain optionality to source natural gas from both western Canada and the U.S. Rockies.”

Veresen affiliate Jordan Cove Energy Project LP in May filed an application with FERC to construct and operate the Jordan Cove LNG export facility (see Daily GPI, May 23). The company has said it expects to receive a certificate from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) one year from the date of filing, with construction to begin by the end of September 2014 (see Daily GPI, May 17). The LNG would be exported to markets throughout the Asia Pacific, South America, Hawaii and Alaska.

LNG demand in the Asian Pacific markets is expect to exceed 300 metric tons/year by 2025, according to Veresen.

But some experts believe that both the overall number of LNG export projects that ultimately are built and the total volumes of LNG exported may be significantly less than once projected for the United States (see related story). In Canada, where the NEB is reviewing requests for 20-to-25-year export licenses one at a time, regulators are being asked to inquire into potential cumulative supply and economic effects of LNG exports (see Daily GPI, Sept. 6).

In December 2011, Jordan Cove won approval from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to export LNG to free-trade agreement nations (seeDaily GPI, Dec. 9, 2011). However, the order did not include exports to major Pacific Rim gas market countries such as China and Japan. Jordan Cove is awaiting DOE action on its March 2012 application to export gas to countries worldwide.