FERC issues Final Environmental Impact Statement on the Corpus Christi LNG Project

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has prepared the final environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Corpus Christi LNG project in Texas.

The project is proposed by Corpus Christi Liquefaction, LLC and Cheniere Corpus Christi Pipeline, L.P. All land-based facilities associated with the project are located in San Patricio County, Texas, with the marine facilities located in Nueces County, Texas.

The project would enable Cheniere to export 2.1 billion standard cubic feet (Bscf) per day of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and import sufficient LNG volume to send out 400 million standard cubic feet (MMscf) per day of natural gas. The proposed facilities associated with the LNG Terminal include the following:

• liquefaction facilities, including three liquefaction trains each capable of liquefying approximately 700 MMscf per day of natural gas;
• vaporization facilities, including two trains of ambient air vaporizers and send out pumps each capable of vaporizing sufficient LNG volume for each to send out approximately 200 MMscf per day of natural gas;
• LNG storage facilities, including three LNG storage tanks each capable of storing LNG equivalent to approximately 3.4 Bscf of natural gas; and
• marine terminal with two LNG carrier berths.

The project would also include 23 miles of new 48-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline and two compressor stations. The proposed liquefaction project is being designed for three trains capable of producing in aggregate up to 13.5 million tonnes per annum (mtpa).

The FERC staff concluded that approval of the proposed project, with the mitigation measures recommended in the EIS, would ensure that impacts in the project area would be avoided or minimized and would not be significant. The FERC Commissioners will take into consideration the staff's recommendations and comments received when they make a decision on the project.

Construction works are set to start between late 2014 and early 2015. The new facilities are scheduled to be operational by 2018.

The Corpus Christi site is located on the La Quinta Channel on the northeast side of Corpus Christi Bay in San Patricio County, Texas, on over 1,000 acres owned or controlled by Cheniere and is approximately 15 nautical miles from the coast. The Corpus Christi Liquefaction project is expected to be constructed in phases, with each LNG train commencing operations approximately six to nine months after the previous train.