Gulfstream LNG Development (Gulfstream LNG), a greenfield liquefied natural gas (LNG) export project under development in Louisiana, has received the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approval to start the pre-filing permitting process.
The approval marks the beginning of off the regulatory review for its proposed 4 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) modular export facility, being developed south of New Orleans.
The achievement follows Gulfstream LNG’s closing of its initial Seed Funding round and its move to a nearby downstream site on the same side of the Mississippi River as its previously announced location.
The upgraded 418-acre site, with over three kilometers (over two miles) of deepwater Mississippi River frontage, is secured under a long-term 50+ year lease agreement with a private landowner.
The site is traversed by a 26” natural gas pipeline that will supply, as per an executed agreement with the pipeline operator, the full volume of feed gas required for the operation of the Gulfstream LNG facility at its nameplate capacity.
Over the past year, Gulfstream LNG has further reduced project risk by selecting its key technical partners, including Baker Hughes as the liquefaction equipment provider, Honeywell UOP to provide its gas treatment technology, GTT to provide LNG tank technology and containment system, and Kiewit Energy Group Inc. to provide engineering, procurement, and construction support.
Gulfstream LNG facilities will include two ‘trains’ for gas processing, three electric-drive liquefaction ‘trains’ each with an average base LNG production capacity of approximately 1.4 MTPA, one 200,000 m3 LNG storage tank and tank protection system, two marine loading berths (one capable of receiving smaller barges and vessels, and one for servicing larger ocean-going LNG carriers), and an on-site gas-fired power generation plant.
Gulfstream LNG is also evaluating various CO2 capture, use and storage options to reduce its Scope 1 and Scope 2 CO2 emissions.
First production is anticipated in less than six years.
“Though the Administration’s pause in the review of DoE non- FTA permits does not directly impact Gulfstream LNG because of our stage in the FERC process, we encourage the US government to complete their evaluation as soon as possible. Export permit delays add uncertainty to project development, impact the global energy transition, and encourage the continued usage of coal and other dirty fuels,” said Vivek Chandra, CEO and Founder of Gulfstream LNG.