Posted on March 5, 2018
Port of Brownsville has moved closer to its own LNG export terminal by acquiring the US Coast Guard’s stamp of approval.
The US Coast Guard has issued a Letter of Recommendation to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) confirming the suitability of the Brownsville Ship Channel for Texas LNG’s marine traffic as it relates to safety and security.
“I recommend that the Brownsville Ship Channel be considered suitable for … accommodating the type and frequency of LNG marine traffic associated with this project,” said US Coast Guard Captain RA Hahn, Captain of the Port, Corpus Christi, Texas, in his letter to FERC.
Suitability assessment
In its review of Texas LNG’s Water Suitability Assessment, the Coast Guard addressed public comments that raised a number of issues, including safety, potential environmental impacts and physical characteristics of the ship channel.
The Texas LNG facility is being designed by Texas LNG Brownsville LLC to accommodate LNG carriers with nominal LNG capacities up to 180,000 m3 and dimensions on the order of 977 feet (298 metres) long and 151 feet (46 metres) wide.
Brownsville’s Ship Channel has a current depth of 42 feet (12.8 metres), but has received full US Congressional authorisation to deepen its channel to 52 feet (15.8 metres).
Full FERC approval and Final Investment Decision (FID) for the development of the site are expected in 2019 and first phase production of 2 million tonnes per annum of LNG is expected to begin in 2023.
When completed, the Texas LNG export facility will enable the export of 4 million tonnes per annum (MTA) of LNG to established and developing markets.
Source: GreenPort
