You are on page 1of 12

Your continued donations keep Wikipedia running!

Talk:Liquefied natural gas


From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search


You can leave up all the free publicity for this company but please take down all references
to me. I already told you I dont want to have anything to do with this anti-business, double
standards, hypocritical website.

Please stop adding Cheniere Energy. This article is about the entire WORLD, and what
LNG is, it is not a place to promote your favorite stock, or where you work. If you want to
add a NEW section at the bottom and talk about ALL of the regasification plants around the
world, not just the ONE'S in Sabine Pass, Freeport, or Corpus Christi! Also talk about ALL
the companies involved in putting up new terminals, or adding to existing terminals.
Here is a partial list of just the proposed North American terminals to get you started:

LNG Terminal Operator Initial Capacity - LNG per day


Sabine Pass - Cameron Parish, La. Sabine Pass LNG LP 2.6 billion cubic feet
Sabine Pass, Jefferson County, Texas Golden Pass LNG Terminal LP (ExxonMobil)
1 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd)
Energia Costa Azul LNG receiving terminal - Baja California, Mexico Sempra
Energy 500 million cubic feet
Cameron LNG - Hackberry, La. Sempra Energy 1.5 billion cubic feet
Gloucester County, New Jersey BP
Lake Charles, Louisiana (EXPANSION) Trunkline LNG Company (Southern Union
Company) 1.2 Bcf/d
Tijuana Marathon 750 million cubic feet
Tijuana ChevronTexaco
Port Pelican, Lousiana Port Pelican LLC (ChevronTexaco) 1.6 Bcf/d
Everett, Massachusetts Distrigas (Tractebel) 600 million cubic feet
Radio Island, NC El Paso Corporation 300 million cubic feet
Bahamas El Paso Corporation 500 million cubic feet
Altamira, Mexico El Paso Corporation and Shell Gas & Power 1.3 Bcf/d

I want to see FAIR and EQUAL treament or I will submit the article to be LOCKED, and
you will not be able to edit it. If you want to create a new article about Cheniere Energy and
then have a reference in that article to LNG for an explination of what it is, that is fine.
WikiDon 22:56, 18 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Contents
[hide]

1 Based on current Wikipedia policy, please add new comments to the bottom, not
the top.
2 What I know about LNG terminals in the U.S.
3 Non US Plants
4 A ton of tons
5 Moved from Royal Dutch Shell
6 Heat value
7 Correction

8 Grammar and Style


[edit]

Based on current Wikipedia policy, please add new comments to the bottom, not the top.

[edit]

What I know about LNG terminals in the U.S.


Here is what I know about LNG regasification terminals serving the U.S.:

1) There are five LNG regasification terminals operating in the United States:
o Everett, MA : 1.035 Bcfd (Tractebel - DOMAC)
o Cove Point, MD : 1.0 Bcfd (Dominion - Cove Point LNG)
o Elba Island, GA : 0.68 Bcfd (El Paso - Southern LNG)
o Lake Charles, LA : 1.0 Bcfd (Southern Union - Trunkline LNG)
o Gulf of Mexico: 0.5 Bcfd, (Gulf Gateway Energy Bridge - Excelerate
Energy)

2) It is easier for an existing terminal to expand, and receive approvals, than it is for
a new terminal to be built.

3) As of 17 June 2005 eight FERC applications have been approved:


o Lake Charles, LA: 1.1 Bcfd (Southern Union - Trunkline LNG)
o Hackberry, LA : 1.5 Bcfd, (Sempra Energy)
o Bahamas : 0.84 Bcfd, (AES Ocean Express)*
o Bahamas : 0.83 Bcfd, (Calypso Tractebel)*

o
o
o
o

Freeport, TX : 1.5 Bcfd, (Cheniere/Freeport LNG Dev.)


Sabine, LA : 2.6 Bcfd (Cheniere LNG)
Elba Island, GA: 0.54 Bcfd (El Paso - Southern LNG)
Corpus Christi, TX: 2.6 Bcfd, (Cheniere LNG)

*US pipeline approved; LNG terminal pending in Bahamas


(Lets do some math 5+8=13 3/13 = 23% for Cheniere, beshides you should use
capacity, it would benefit Cheniere more anyway.)
4) You say five, this is incorrect information, misleading, and/or outright deception.

5) Just because a company has received FERC approval does not mean that a
terminal will be built. The local community still has the right to reject a plan. The
Coast Guard has FINAL say on all plans, after the FERC approval.

FROM Chenieres most recent 424B5 (03-December-2004):


In addition to FERC authorization under Section 3 of the NGA, our
construction and operation of LNG receiving terminals is also
subject to additional federal permits, approvals and consultations
required by certain other federal agencies, including: Advisory
Counsel on Historic Preservation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
U.S. Department of Commerce, National Marine Fisheries Services,
U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Homeland
Security.
Our LNG receiving terminals will also be subject to U.S.
Department of Transportation siting requirements and regulations of
the U.S. Coast Guard relating to facility security. Moreover, our
LNG receiving terminals will also be subject to local and state laws,
rules and regulations.

6) In addition to the eight above, two more have passed on through the
MARAD/Coast Guard approval process:
o Port Pelican: 1.6 Bcfd, (Chevron Texaco)
o Louisiana Offshore : 1.0 Bcfd (Gulf Landing - Shell)

7) In addition to plants in the U.S., LNG can also be brought to Mexico and Canada
and then piped in the form of natural gas to markets in the U.S., there are five such
plants approved in Canada and Mexico:
o St. John, NB : 1.0 Bcfd, (Canaport - Irving Oil)
o Point Tupper, NS 1.0 Bcf/d (Bear Head LNG - Anadarko)
o Altamira, Tamulipas : 0.7 Bcfd, (Shell/Total/Mitsui)

o
o

Baja California, MX : 1.0 Bcfd, (Sempra & Shell)


Baja California - Offshore : 1.4 Bcfd, (Chevron Texaco)

(Back to the math room: 7+13=20 3/20 = 15%)

8) The regulatory hurdles for these plants may be less than in the U.S.,
o A) Due to local population density in Canada and their local economy.
o B) Due to standards that may be lower and economic conditions in Mexico.

9) In addition to the above-mentioned plants, there are 23 more plants that have
submitted for applications from either FERC or MARAD/COAST GUARD:
o Fall River, MA : 0.8 Bcfd, (Weaver's Cove Energy/Hess LNG)
o Long Beach, CA : 0.7 Bcfd, (Mitsubishi/ConocoPhillips - Sound Energy
Solutions
o Corpus Christi, TX : 1.0 Bcfd (Vista Del Sol - ExxonMobil)
o Sabine, TX : 1.0 Bcfd (Golden Pass - ExxonMobil)
o Logan Township, NJ : 1.2 Bcfd (Crown Landing LNG - BP)
o Bahamas : 0.5 Bcfd, (Seafarer - El Paso/FPL )
o Corpus Christi, TX: 1.0 Bcfd (Ingleside Energy - Occidental Energy
Ventures)
o Providence, RI : 0.5 Bcfd (Keyspan & BG LNG)
o Port Arthur, TX: 1.5 Bcfd (Sempra)
o Cove Point, MD : 0.8 Bcfd (Dominion)
o LI Sound, NY: 1.0 Bcfd (Broadwater Energy - TransCanada/Shell)
o Pascagoula, MS: 1.0 Bcfd (Gulf LNG Energy LLC)
o Bradwood, OR: 1.0 Bcfd (Northern Star LNG - Northern Star Natural Gas
LLC)
o Pascagoula, MS: 1.3 Bcfd (Casotte Landing - ChevronTexaco)
o Cameron, LA: 3.3 Bcfd (Creole Trail LNG - Cheniere LNG)
o Port Lavaca, TX: 1.0 Bcfd (Calhoun LNG - Gulf Coast LNG Partners)
o California Offshore: 1.5 Bcfd (Cabrillo Port - BHP Billiton)
o So. California Offshore : 0.5 Bcfd, (Crystal Energy)
o Louisiana Offshore : 1.0 Bcfd (Main Pass McMoRan Exp.)
o Gulf of Mexico: 1.0 Bcfd (Compass Port - ConocoPhillips)
o Gulf of Mexico: 2.8 Bcfd (Pearl Crossing - ExxonMobil)
o Gulf of Mexico: 1.5 Bcfd (Beacon Port Clean Energy Terminal ConocoPhillips)
o Offshore Boston, MA: 0.4 Bcfd (Neptune LNG - Tractebel)

10) If you look at some of the names on all the lists that I have provided, you will
notice some with vastly larger financial resources than Cheniere. Additionally you
say: NONE of those companies you list has both an approved terminal and
sufficient capacity deals lined up to merit construction! Only Cheniere does! But
what these companies do have is hugh financial resources, they can BUY the
companies that obtian approval just by opening the checkbook. I will only cite one
for further demonstration:
o ExxonMobil has $18.5 billion in cash.
o Not to mention Shell, BP, etc., etc., etc.

11) FROM Chenieres most recent 424B5 (03-December-2004):

There are many companies looking to build infrastructure in the domestic


LNG market, including, without limitation, major oil and gas companies
such as ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, Royal Dutch/Shell and
ChevronTexaco. Other energy companies such as Sempra, Tractebel,
McMoRan Exploration, AES, Excelerate Energy and other public and
private companies have also proposed facilities, both onshore and offshore.
Almost all of our competitors have longer operating histories, more
development experience, greater name recognition, larger staffs and
substantially greater financial, technical and marketing resources than we
do. The superior resources that these competitors have available to deploy
could allow them to surpass us in terms of the status of their LNG receiving
terminal development projects. Among other things, these competitors may
not have to rely on external financing to the same extent we do, if at all.
Industry analysts have predicted that if all of the proposed LNG receiving
terminals in North America that have been announced by developers were
actually built, there would likely be substantial excess capacity for such
terminals in the future. Accordingly, there is a substantial risk that slowerpaced LNG receiving terminal development projects may never be
completed. Any perception in the LNG receiving terminal marketplace that
we may be unable to complete our proposed LNG receiving terminals,
because competing projects are further along in their development or
otherwise, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of
operations, financial condition and prospects.
In addition, our proposed LNG receiving terminals will likely continue to
face competition when and if they are completed. If the number of LNG
receiving terminals built outstrips demand, the excess capacity will likely
lead to a decrease in the prices that we will be able to obtain for
uncommitted amounts of our regasification services. Because of the
substantial likelihood that we will have significant debt service obligations,
any such price decreases would impact us more severely than our

competitors with greater financial resources. Accordingly potential


overcapacity in the LNG receiving terminal marketplace could have a
material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial
condition and prospects.

12) The U.S. Government could adopt an National Energy Policy that promotes
other forms of energy, financially impacting LNG and Cheniere. FROM Chenieres
most recent 424B5 (03-December-2004):
o The failure of LNG to become a competitive supply alternative to domestic
natural gas, oil and other import alternatives could have a material adverse
effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and
prospects.

13) Statement from FERC:


o How many projects might be built?
"There are about 40 LNG terminals that are either before FERC or being
discussed by the LNG industry for North America. Six terminals are already
operating on the East Coast, Puerto Rico and Alaska.
Currently, there are 16 facilities under FERC jurisdiction in the continental
US. Twelve of the facilities are land-based, peak-shaving plants that liquefy
and store LNG during the summer (low demand) months for sendout during
winter (high demand) months. The remainder are baseload LNG import
terminals, which are the focus of this LNG section.
Any LNG terminal project that is approved must also obtain approvals and
permits from other federal and state agencies before construction can begin.
These permits and approvals include Coastal Zone Management Act,
Section 404 water quality certificate, and a Section 404 dredging permit.
The market ultimately determines whether an approved LNG terminal is
ever built. Even if an LNG terminal project receives all of the federal and
state approvals, it still must meet complicated global issues surrounding
financing, gas supply and market conditions. Many industry analysts predict
that only 12 of the 40 LNG terminals being considered will ever be built.

14) CONCLUSION:
o A) If you want to write an article about LNG regasification terminal plants
in the United States, inlcude ALL OF THEM, not just the one you think will
be the winner.

FINALLY) Do not attack me personally, I will delete those comments.


Just submit and cite verifiable facts. You have no right to attack me, say
what I think, and say what I know. Let the facts speak and stand for
themselves. Based just on the facts that you have submitted, you sir, are
either misinformed or you are a liar.

15) Sources:
o http://www.ferc.gov
o http://www.sec.gov

[edit]

Non US Plants
Seems to me that this argument shouldn't centre around the small US market. The article is
about LNG and this is a worldwide subject with most plants operating outside domestic US.
Cherniere is a very small player when compared with the worldwide market and expertise.
It is a tiny player in the petrochemical field and given that it hasn't any resources can only
be considered an operator. It doesn't yet seem to have an LNG plant?
This article certainly isn't the place to make a case for investment in the future. I agree with
Wikidon that if you want to have an article about Cherniere then by all means do so. I think
it would be fair for Wikidon to rank the position of all operating companies and we can see
the amount of work that needs to be done before it is worth considering Cherniere as a
player.
Finally please annotate comments on this page with a signature so that it is easier for others
to follow the argument. --Rjstott 03:57, 20 Jun 2005 (UTC)
[edit]

A ton of tons
What in the world are "tons" in the table in this article? Gene Nygaard 12:49, 18 August
2005 (UTC)
[edit]

Moved from Royal Dutch Shell


I'd like to see some examples of unrefined gas being piped ashore, especially if it is done in
inhabited areas.

Lapsed Pacifist 06:53, 9 August 2005 (UTC)


The [www.soep.com/ Sable Offshore Energy Project ] comes to mind. Also, much of the
Gulf Coast gas comes ashore through pipelines, but I don't know which specific prospects
are refined onshore. Offshore gas processing is usually done when it is cheaper than doing
it onshore, usually it is cheaper to process onshore. In some countries offshore prospects
fall under federal jurisdiction instead of local jurisdiction, if local regulations are too
demanding, they may opt to process offshore. In some environmental aspects force offshore
production, icebergs in northern regions are a good example of this. I will be happy to come
back in a couple of weeks if you want more info. --129.173.105.28 13:23, 12 August 2005
(UTC) Does any one know what SHELL stands for??
There's another gas rig in Ireland, off the south coast, where it's processed offshore. Does
the Nova Scotia pipeline go through an inhabited area?
Lapsed Pacifist 18:06, 13 August 2005 (UTC)
Yes --129.173.105.28 19:41, 13 August 2005 (UTC) I am guessing this is a contentious
issue in the community. Some things to consider: Where is the field located in the south in
relation to land. I used to live in Alberta, and I can tell you that unprocessed gas is not
always refined at source. It can move through hundreds of kilometres of pipe before it gets
to a refinery. I'm only changing things based on the facts I know. It is more expensive to
build a processing facility offshore than onshore, until you consider things like political
climate onshore and some other factors.--129.173.105.28 19:45, 13 August 2005 (UTC) I
just improved the Corrib field article. It is a small field 1 TCF; this may be the reason why
they are processing it onshore.
The Corrib field is not that much smaller, 70% of the Kinsale volume according to
http://www.offshore-technology.com/projects/corrib/. I'm just wondering if it's common to
transport unrefined gas through inhabited areas. The Kinsale field is 50km from land. Both
are in the jurisdiction of the Republic.
Lapsed Pacifist 22:02, 13 August 2005 (UTC)
To many in the energy industry a 1 TCF gas deposit ofshore would be considered small. I
did not mean small compared to Kinsale. I already aswered your other question, yes it is
common to process gas from offshore developments onshore. Take a look through the
pages I linked to in the Corrib field wiki page, and see how many are processed onshore.
FYI - the SOEP fields are ~200 km offshore and are processed onshore. The gas at Corrib
appears to be sweet, with little H2S contamination. Refining then piping it won't change
what goes through the pipes significantly. --129.173.105.28 18:28, 14 August 2005 (UTC)
The main issues seem to be the lack of ethanethiol or a similar chemical to warn of any
leak, and the high pressure the unrefined gas is being piped at, compared to its pressure
when it is refined, which the residents of Rossport consider significant. When I asked how
common it is to refine onshore, I was looking for a ratio, i.e. are half of refineries for

offshore gas onshore? A quarter? And what proportion of these have the gas piped through
inhabited areas?
Lapsed Pacifist 18:42, 14 August 2005 (UTC)
129.173.105.28 has provided you with a link where you could put together the statistics and
work out your own ratio; browsing through the site I can quickly see that there are many
projects where gas is refined onshore. There are hundreds of offshore gas projects, you are
asking someone else to do a significant amount of work for you. Based on your edits you I
feel you have a POV on the issue. Can you provide the actual numbers for the pressures.
All gas pipelines are "high pressured". --Csnewton 19:45, 14 August 2005 (UTC)
I'm given to understand that the pressure is much higher before the gas is refined. I'm not
looking for exact offshore/onshore or inhabited areas/uninhabited areas ratios, a rough
estimate from someone more familiar with the industry would suit me fine. Based on my
edits, exactly what POV do you think I have?
Lapsed Pacifist 05:52, 15 August 2005 (UTC)
I don't think many people would have a rough estimate of the numbers you are looking for.
You could try asking other places in wikipedia. You seem to be searching relentlessly for
evidence that onshore refining is not the norm or common. The pressure of a pipeline
depends on its use. For instance, a transport pipeline for refined gas would likely be at a
similar pressure to the pipeline originating at the platform. A distribution pipeline would
have less pressure. --Csnewton 12:57, 15 August 2005 (UTC) The pressures in all gas
pipelines are decided by the desired flowrate, the gas consistency and the terrain over
which they must pass. Unrefined NGL is sent by underground pipeline from St Fergus to
Mossmorran a total of 212km. It passes close to many properties and nearby Aberdeen and
Perth. There is no odoriser and the pressure in the pipe at it highest (lowest elevation) is
similar (probably greater) to Corrib. Unprocessed gas arives at St Fergus and at Bacton in
the UK from offshore. Unprocessed gas is collected thoughout Northern Netherlands from
the Gronigen field and piped through hundreds of km of flow lines to gathering stations.
There is no change in the safety position for odorised gas compared with unodorised gas. A
leak remains equally likely and equally problematical. Use of odoriser would provide little
value.--Rjstott 03:48, 24 August 2005 (UTC)
Surely the odoriser would warn anyone near the pipe that there was a leak?
Lapsed Pacifist 06:00, 26 August 2005 (UTC)
Given the number of explosions in houses caused by leaking gas where odoriser is
obviously present it seem that detection by smell isn't effective and too late by far to have
any purpose. As the pipeline passes through a largely unpopulated area detection by smell
is not somethin any responsible operator would rely on. It is much more important that all
precautions are taken to ensure the pipeline is properly maintained and protected. Other
important safety solutions requires leak detection, the capability to shut down, isolate,

depressurise and act quickly. All responsible Gas pipeline operators will have clear plans in
any emergency which will be regularly tested.
That's fair enough. Should'nt blast radius be a factor if the pipe passes close to houses,
though?
Lapsed Pacifist 04:12, 27 August 2005 (UTC)
The radius is quite small even for gas mixed at precisely the right proportions. Gas
explosions are also considered soft (slow), especially unless constrained. At around 50
metres from a gas release point, there is considered to be little risk of ignition. However,
lots of factors need to be considered such as prevailing wind and weather, terrain, pressure,
leak size, pipe depth, leak detection capability, temperature etc. This discussion would be
better on the LNG talk page if it is to have any general value.--Rjstott 10:30, 27 August
2005 (UTC)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Royal_Dutch_Shell"
[edit]

Heat value
Can somebody add to the article typical heat values for LNG? For a fuel, this is absolutely
necessary info. Metric units would be fine, but BTU's/ft3 are OK too. --FocalPoint 13:36,
21 November 2005 (UTC)
[edit]

Correction
The Staten Island Incident and Fluxys LNG incidents were not due to leaks of LNG. Other
fire/explosion incidents have occurred that were due to leaks of LNG, but not these.
No one is sure what caused the Staten Island incident but it was not LNG. The tank
contained no LNG at the time when the explosion occurred. LNG remains in its liquid form
only when its temperature is below -160C. At these temperatures, it is quite impossible for
any residual LNG to have been in the tank while workers were also present. A more likely
explanation is that the explosion was due to ignition of vapours from solvents that were
being used in connection with repair of the lining of the tank.
The Fluxys incident was an explosion at a gas pipeline, not an LNG pipeline. "Fluxys
LNG" is simply the name of the company that operated the pipeline.
[edit]

Grammar and Style


The article reads like it was translated from another language. There is strange use of the
words "the" and "a". Article needs rewrite. Also, safety issues need a separate section.
Questions: Have valid concerns about LNG terminals in populated areas been diluted by
blanket opposition to LNG? Would absolute opponents of LNG prefer the gas was just
flared off in Iran and Nigeria? Isn't methane lighter than air, so it would float away? Can
emergency flaring (with acceptable equipment damage) mitigate the dangers caused by
ruptured pipes, etc? Anthony717 21:11, 20 February 2006 (UTC)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Liquefied_natural_gas"
Views

Article
Discussion
Edit this page
+
History

Personal tools

Sign in / create account

Navigation

Main Page
Community Portal
Current events
Recent changes
Random article
Help
Contact Wikipedia
Donations

Search
Go

Search

Toolbox

What links here


Related changes

Upload file
Special pages
Printable version
Permanent link

This page was last modified 18:23, 2 March 2006.


All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License (see
Copyrights for details).
Wikipedia is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers

You might also like