Gulf LNG Clean Energy Project

LNG is produced and exported by countries whose natural gas reserves exceed their own demand. In some cases, natural gas that could be imported to the United States is simply being flared (burned) and treated as a waste product because the facilities needed to put this energy to use are not yet in place. Currently, the demand for natural gas in North America outpaces domestically produced supplies. The LNG Clean Energy Project at the Port of Pascagoula is planned as a receiving terminal for LNG shipped from various parts of the world, helping answer the demand for natural gas here in the U.S. while helping the world put its resources to better use.

Location
The proposed site is located on the Pascagoula Bayou Casotte Ship Channel, which is 42 feet deep and 350 feet wide. From a marine standpoint, the location is excellent and can easily accommodate LNG ships.

In addition to being removed from populated areas, this site affords access to four major gas pipelines serving the Northeast and three gas pipelines serving Florida and the Southeast. Another major advantage of the site is the ability to provide underground gas storage capacity to the area. There is also gas processing capability nearby to handle any LNG that needs to be processed before going into the pipeline system.

Import Terminal Description
An LNG import terminal is a facility that will be used to receive, temporarily store, and regasify LNG. The terminal consists of low-pressure, insulated storage tanks, an unloading dock for LNG carrier vessels, regasification equipment (known as vaporizers), and other related facilities.

How LNG Is Received and Stored
LNG will arrive at the LNG Clean Energy terminal in specially designed and constructed double-hulled LNG ships.

LNG is offloaded from the LNG carriers and pumped into low-pressure, double-walled, insulated storage tanks. On demand, the LNG will be pumped from the storage tanks into vaporizers which warm the LNG to transform it back into its gaseous state – the same natural gas used by millions of Americans in their homes for heating and cooking. The regasified LNG is subsequently delivered to customers via a pipeline system.

The two storage tanks at the Bayou Casotte site will have a combined capacity of about two million barrels (about 1,006,400 barrels each).

About the Ships LNG is transported in double-hulled ships designed to prevent leakage or rupture in an accident. These ships have emergency shutdown systems that can identify potential safety problems and shut down operations. The detection equipment onboard these ships is so sensitive it can detect leakage through a hole the size of a pinhead. LNG vessels are also equipped for safer ship handling. The ship-handling safety features include sophisticated radar and positioning systems that enable the crew to monitor the ship’s position, traffic and identified external hazards. All LNG vessels calling upon the LNG Clean Energy Facility will be required to meet U.S. government standards specially developed to cover LNG operations, as well as accepted international standards. About The Tanks The proposed terminal will feature two storage tanks that are designed to contain the cooled liquid. Each tank is essentially a container within a container – operating on the same principles as a conventional thermos bottle. The outside wall is designed to hold the entire contents of the container, should the inner wall fail.

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A Typical LNG Import Terminal

Though the detailed engineering and design of the LNG Clean Energy Project has not yet been completed, a generalized description of a typical LNG import terminal helps illustrate the main properties.
The main components of a typical LNG import terminal are:

• Marine Facilities
• LNG Receiving & Storage Facilities
• Vaporization Facilities
• Send Out PipelineMarine Facilities

This consists of a pier designed to berth and unload LNG ships. The pier will be capable of unloading vessels with capacities up to 250,000 cubic meters.

LNG Receiving & Storage Facilities
The LNG ship will moor at the pier, at which time unloading arms will be connected to the ship. The ship’s pumps will transfer the LNG into the onshore storage tanks, a process that usually takes about 12 hours.
The proposed terminal will feature a sophisticated containment system. Each tank is essentially a container within a container. The outside wall is able to hold the entire contents of the inner container, should it fail.
The storage tanks are about 180 feet high and 250 feet in diameter. They will operate at a maximum pressure of 2 pounds per square inch gauge and are well insulated. LNG facilities rely on low temperatures, not high pressures, to keep LNG in its liquid state. (Normal, sea-level pressure of the air around us is about 14.7 pounds per square inch.)

Vaporization Facilities
A series of send-out pumps will transfer the LNG from the storage tanks to the vaporizers for regasification. Once in the vaporizers, the LNG is heated to bring it back to its “natural” state. High temperatures are not required to regasify LNG. The gas is then measured and delivered into a pipeline for distribution.

Send Out Pipeline
The LNG Terminal will be connected to the existing pipeline transportation system via a new send out pipeline. This pipeline would transport the regasified LNG from the Terminal to an interconnect with an interstate natural gas pipeline system for delivery to U.S. consumers.