Warren R. True
Chief Technology Editor-LNG/Gas Processing
HOUSTON, Mar. 17 -- The US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission last week formally approved start of operations at the Golden Pass LNG terminal near Sabine Pass, Tex., along with its pipeline. By yearend, the US Gulf Coast will host more than 92 million tonnes/year of LNG import capacity.
Golden Pass is the fourth along the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast to begin operating since 2008, adding nearly 70 million tpy of LNG import capacity to the area. Trunkline LNG’s Lake Charles, La., LNG terminal started up in 1982 and, after expansions, can now import 14 million tpy. In 2005, Excelerate Energy’s Gulf Gateway buoy terminal, 116 miles off Louisiana, added 3.3 million tpy of capacity.
Later this year, Gulf LNG Energy will start up its 5 million tpy terminal at Pascagoula, Miss., some 350 miles east of the southwest Louisiana-Southeast Texas concentration.
According to an announcement by Golden Pass LNG Terminal LLC, Houston, Phase 1 commissioning activities and performance tests of the receiving terminal were successfully completed earlier this month. The 69-mile interstate pipeline was commissioned earlier in the year.
Phase 1 operations enable nominal sendout capacity of 1 bcfd of natural gas. Phase 2 of the terminal will begin commercial operations in May or June, according to Golden Pass. When fully operational, the terminal will be able to import 15.6 million tpy of LNG. The pipeline, with multiple intrastate and interstate connections, has a nominal capacity of 2.5 bcfd.
Golden Pass LNG Terminal and Golden Pass Pipeline LLC are joint-venture companies formed by affiliates of Qatar Petroleum International (70%), ExxonMobil Corp. (17.6%), and ConocoPhillips (12.4%).
Contact Warren R. True at [email protected].
