For rebuffed Jordan Cove LNG, pipeline was stumbling block at FERC

For developers of the stalled Jordan Cove LNG export project, convincing federal regulators of a need for the associated gas pipeline has been a hurdle too high.

FERC on Dec. 9 said it would not reconsider its initial rejection of the Jordan Cove Energy Project LP and Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline projects because developers had failed to present "extraordinary circumstances" that would have justified a rehearing. The project now has the option to reseek authorization by submitting a new application.

The commission's decision came down to a lack of need for the 36-inch-diameter pipeline, rather than the export terminal, Katie Bays, an energy analyst at Height Securities LLC, said in an interview.

Low temperatures boost LNG output in winter, study finds

Thanks to lower temperatures that aid the industrial process that cools natural gas to its liquid form, LNG export terminals will likely be able to produce more in the winter than in the summer, sometimes by a margin of about 1 million tonnes per annum, according to a Wood Mackenzie report.

A variation as small as 1 degree Celsius could drive changes in an export terminal's output, Wood Mackenzie analyst and report author Lucy Cullen said in an interview. But the extent of that impact largely depends on the facility's design, she said.

Kinder Morgan pipeline applies for expansion to deliver gas to Sabine Pass LNG

Kinder Morgan Louisiana Pipeline LLC asked FERC to authorize a pipeline expansion that would create north-to-south firm transportation capacity for gas delivery to Cheniere Energy Inc.'s Sabine Pass liquefaction and LNG terminal.

In a Dec. 13 application, the Kinder Morgan Inc. affiliate said the modifications would enable the transport of at least 600,000 Dth/d from existing pipeline interconnects to Sabine Pass Liquefaction LLC and would make existing delivery points bidirectional. The application also seeks permission to replace a meter station with a larger one at the same site. The expansion is estimated to cost $151 million.

FERC terminates early review of struggling Mississippi River LNG project

FERC is ending its early review of the Mississippi River LNG project after the commission said developers failed to respond to data requests and engage other regulatory agencies and potential stakeholders.

FERC's decision followed a Sept. 8 progress report in which project developer Louisiana LNG Energy LLC said it was unable to file a formal application to FERC due to "pending legal action related to the project and its current insolvency status." Louisiana LNG Energy was acquired by Parallax Energy in April 2015, and in June 2015, Cheniere Energy Inc. announced that it was partnering with Parallax to develop the project in Plaquemines Parish, La.

Venture Global plans to submit Plaquemines LNG application to FERC by year-end

The developer of the Plaquemines LNG export project in Louisiana told FERC that it plans to submit a formal application by year-end, though that schedule may change depending on the commission's comments on one of the developer's recent filings.

Venture Global Plaquemines LNG LLC said in a conference call with FERC that it is waiting for the commission's review of a draft resource report and that an application would follow FERC's issuance of comments, according to meeting minutes recently made available on FERC's website.

FERC rebukes Sierra Club while rejecting request for Elba Island LNG rehearing

FERC rejected the Sierra Club's request for a rehearing on Kinder Morgan Inc.'s Elba Island liquefaction and export terminal, which began construction in November.

In its Dec. 9 decision, FERC refused to hear new arguments against the planned $2 billion, 0.35 Bcf/d LNG export facility near Savannah, Ga. FERC initially issued an approval for the facility's construction June 1.

Rio Grande LNG developer forms partnership on regasification units for customers

A subsidiary of NextDecade LLC joined with FLEX LNG on an agreement to develop floating storage and regasification units for customers of the proposed Rio Grande LNG export project in Brownsville, Texas.

The units would turn LNG shipped from the U.S. Gulf Coast export terminal back into gas at import locations, which the companies in a joint news release said would attract new markets and "create a full value chain solution" for potential customers of the planned LNG project.