Louisiana: Plaquemines Parish Lands $8.5-Billion LNG Export Complex

Louisiana: Plaquemines Parish Lands $8.5-Billion LNG Complex

Venture Global’s two liquefied natural gas projects in Louisiana, a total investment of $13 billion, will make the state a leader in LNG exports.

March 28, 2017
By the BF Staff
From the January/February 2017 Issue

Gov. John Bel Edwards and Venture Global LNG executives Bob Pender and Mike Sabel recently announced the company will invest $8.5 billion to develop a natural gas liquefaction facility and LNG export terminal in Plaquemines Parish. Plaquemines LNG will be Venture Global’s second major natural gas liquefaction and export project in Louisiana, joining the $4.5 billion Calcasieu Pass project that was announced in Cameron Parish in December 2014 and is under development.

https://cdn.businessfacilities.com/w...0-1024x538.jpgEnergy industry analysts predict that the U.S. will become the world’s third-largest exporter of liquified natural gas by the end of this decade, with most of it coming from facilities in Louisiana like the one pictured. (Photo: lngworldnews.com – Cameron LNG)

Plaquemines LNG will create 250 new direct jobs at an average annual salary of $70,000 per year, plus benefits.

Louisiana Economic Development estimates that the project will result in an additional 728 new indirect jobs, for a total of more than 975 new jobs for Plaquemines Parish and the Southeast Region.

The project also is expected to generate 2,200 construction jobs.

“We are happy to welcome Venture Global to Plaquemines Parish for its second multibillion-dollar LNG project in our state,” Gov. Edwards said. “The long-term prospects for the U.S. natural gas industry are bright, and Louisiana is well-positioned to capitalize on that success with ready access to natural gas supplies and deepwater access for shipping LNG to destinations worldwide. This facility will have a major impact on the local and regional economies by providing hundreds of new high-paying jobs for our skilled workforce.”

Plaquemines LNG will be built to an export capacity of 20 million metric tons per year. The complex will be located on the west bank of the Mississippi River near Mile Marker 55, downriver of Myrtle Grove. The 632-acre site—about 30 miles south of New Orleans—includes 7,000 feet of river frontage and is owned by the Plaquemines Port Harbor and Terminal District.

“From the very inception of our LNG export terminal project in Cameron, Venture Global LNG was and remains convinced that Louisiana is the best place in the United States to develop such important infrastructure projects,” said Venture Global co-Chief Executive Officer Bob Pender said. “We have been delighted with the state’s supportive environment, unified regulatory approach, and skilled and qualified workforce. We are proud to now be developing a second LNG facility, to be located in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. Plaquemines LNG will invest billions in new facilities, equipment and labor and bring thousands of temporary and hundreds of permanent jobs to the state.”

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“The support we received from the communities of Cameron and Plaquemines, along with a fair and consistent approach from regulators, reinforced our decision to expand our commitments in Louisiana,” added Venture Global Co-CEO Mike Sabel.

“Together, Plaquemines LNG and Calcasieu Pass will supply the world’s growing demand for low-cost, clean and reliable North American energy.”

LED began discussions with Venture Global about the Plaquemines Parish project after the company’s announcement of the Calcasieu Pass LNG project in late 2014. The company is expected to utilize the state’s Quality Jobs and Industrial Tax Exemption programs.
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Venture Global announced its Calcasieu Pass LNG project at the intersection of the Calcasieu Ship Channel and the Gulf of Mexico in Cameron Parish in December 2014. Production could begin by late 2019, and full operations are projected to start in 2020.

That facility will produce 1.4 billion cubic feet per day of liquefied natural gas for export, with an annual capacity of 10 million metric tons.

“We have worked for nearly two years on Venture Global’s Plaquemines LNG project,” Plaquemines Port Executive Director Sandy Sanders said. “Venture Global has gone above and beyond in this process and we look forward to a long, mutually beneficial relationship with them.”

Construction of the Plaquemines LNG project is expected to begin in 2018, once the project is authorized by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Full operations are expected to begin in 2022.

https://businessfacilities.com/2017/03/louisiana-plaquemines-parish-lands-8-5-billion-lng-complex/

Fri Jul 29, 2016 | 4:45pm EDT

First U.S. LNG shipment goes to China as Panama Canal opens markets: data

The first liquefied natural gas vessel from the lower 48 U.S. states is on its way to China, according to a Reuters interactive map on Friday, the latest sign that the expanded Panama Canal is allowing U.S. exports to reach the world's top LNG buyers in Asia.

Royal Dutch Shell's Maran Gas Apollonia loaded up with gas at Cheniere Energy Inc's Sabine Pass LNG export plant in Louisiana, the map showed. It passed through the canal earlier this week and was moving northwest up the west coast of Mexico on Friday afternoon.

Shell does not disclose the destination of its vessels, company spokesman Ray Fisher said.

LNG experts at energy data provider Genscape confirmed the ship's destination was China, but said that could change.

China's fast-growing demand for gas, to help alleviate high levels of pollution from burning coal, has outstripped its domestic supply since 2007, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration data.

The Panama Canal shaves distances between export plants dotted along the Gulf of Mexico and Asia to 9,000 miles (14,484 kilometers) from 16,000, allowing U.S. producers to better compete in one of the world's biggest gas consuming markets.

Since Sabine Pass started exporting gas in February, 20 ships have picked up about 65.9 bcf of gas from the facility, based on the capacity of the tankers.

So far, gas from Sabine has been delivered to South America, India, the Middle East and Europe.

The United States, which has been exporting LNG to Asia from Alaska since 1969, has not shipped gas directly to China at least since 1973, according to federal energy data going back that far.

The United States, however, did re-export some gas from at least one other country to China in 2011, according to the federal data.
A surge in U.S. gas production from the shale revolution stimulated billions of dollars of investment in building LNG export terminals, transforming the country from an importer of LNG to an exporter of the fuel.

By 2019, the United States is expected to be pumping out around 60 million tonnes of LNG annually.

So far only Sabine Pass is exporting LNG from the lower 48 states and output will double to 9 million tonnes per annum as Cheniere adds a second production line later this year.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-lng-idUSKCN1092GY

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