Natural Gas Pipeline Co. of America LLC received federal approval to build its proposed compressor station that would bolster gas access at Cheniere Energy Inc.'s Sabine Pass LNG export terminal in Louisiana, on a number of conditions.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Sept. 30 issued the certificate order to the Sabine Pass compression project, which involves building a 22,490-horsepower compressor station that would enable Natural Gas Pipeline Co. of America, or NGPL, to deliver an additional 400,000 Dth/d of gas to the Sabine Pass terminal.
The decision by a majority comprising FERC Chairman Neil Chatterjee and Commissioner Bernard McNamee, both Republicans, included 14 environmental conditions. These conditions include obtaining written approval from the director of the Office of Energy Projects before starting construction and putting the project into service, as well as filing an affirmative statement with the commission secretary, among others. NGPL is also required to hire at least one environmental inspector for the project.
Commissioner Richard Glick, a Democrat, dissented in part from the decision, saying the agency was "again refusing to consider the consequences its actions have for climate change" in violation of the Natural Gas Act and the National Environmental Policy Act.
Glick said that even though the commission quantifies the greenhouse gas emissions produced by the project, it "steadfastly refuses" to look into whether the impact of the emissions on climate change is significant. "Claiming that a project would not significantly affect the quality of human environment while at the same time refusing to assess the significance of the project's impact on the most important environmental issue of our time is not reasoned decisionmaking."
NGPL applied for FERC authorization of the project in May 2018, saying the estimated $61 million project is backed by a precedent agreement with Sabine Pass Liquefaction LLC. The project passed an environmental review by FERC staff in March. (FERC docket CP18-487)
The commission also authorized a fifth liquefaction train at Sabine Pass to enter commercial service in March. And in June, Cheniere announced a final investment decision on a sixth train at the terminal. Each train is capable of producing 4.5 million tonnes per annum of LNG, or about 0.7 Bcf/d of gas.
