Port Arthur LNG seeks FERC approval to build export facility

San Diego-based Sempra Energy said on Monday that its subsidiary, Port Arthur LNG, has asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to begin the pre-filing review process for the company's proposed natural gas liquefaction and export facility, which would be built in Port Arthur, Texas.

The proposed construction project for the liquefaction facility would include two natural gas liquefaction trains with a total export capability of nearly 10 million tons per year (roughly 1.4 billion cubic feet per day), two 160,000-cubic-meter storage tanks, marine facilities to facilitate ship berthing and loading, storage facilities for natural gas liquids and refrigerants, feed gas pre-treatment, areas for loading and unloading trucks, and generators powered by combustion turbines that generate electricity.

Port Arthur LNG already has begun filing permit applications with the Department of Energy to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Free Trade Agreement (FTA) countries and plans to file for permits to add non-FTA countries later this year.

"We have gained valuable experience working with the FERC during the permitting process for the ... LNG liquefaction project," Octavio Simoes, Sempra LNG's president, said. "If we are successful, this project would provide long-term economic benefits and create new jobs in the region, while strengthening America's role as a global energy leader."