The US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has prepared a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Jacksonville Project proposed by Eagle LNG Partners Jacksonville, LLC (Eagle LNG). The company requested authorization under Section 3(a) of the Natural Gas Act and Parts 153 and 380 of the Commission’s regulations to site, construct, and operate a LNG terminal and export facility on the north bank of the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida.
The project would include the following facilities:
- three LNG trains, each with a nominal capacity of 0.33 million (metric) tonnes per annum of LNG for export, resulting in a total nominal capacity of 1.0 million (metric) tonnes per annum;
- one LNG storage tank with a net capacity of 45,000 cubic meters;
- marine facilities with a concrete access trestle and loading platform, and two liquid loading arms capable of docking and mooring a range of LNG vessels with an LNG cargo capacity of up to 45,000 cubic meters;
- LNG truck loading facilities with a dual bay capable of loading 260 to 520 LNG trucks per year;
- a boil-off gas compression system;
- on-site refrigerant storage;
- ground flare and cold vent systems; and
- utilities and support facilities (e.g., administration, control, and workshop buildings; roads and parking areas; power and communications; water, air, septic, and stormwater systems).
Natural gas would be delivered to the Jacksonville Project site via a 120-foot-long non-jurisdictional pipeline that would be constructed, owned, and operated by Peoples Gas (a subsidiary of TECO Energy, Inc.).
This project will inject approximately $500 million of infrastructure investment plus provide numerous well-paying direct and indirect jobs in Florida. Once completed, the Jacksonville Export Project will contribute to improving air quality in Florida, the east coast and the Caribbean as our clients’ transition to the use of natural gas from heavy fuel oil and diesel,
… said Sean Lalani, President of Eagle LNG Partners.
The conclusions and recommendations presented in the EIS are those of the FERC, with input from the US Department of Energy, USCG, US Army Corps of Engineers, and US Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, as cooperating agencies, but these could develop their own conclusions if they conclude that their permitting requirements have been satisfied.
Among the key factors considered by FERC is that the LNG terminal site would be in an area currently zoned for industrial use, and is along an existing, maintained ship channel in the St. Johns River, while all necessary consultation with US Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA would secure the listed threatened and endangered species before construction would begin.
In addition, “Eagle LNG would comply with all applicable air and noise requirements during construction and operation of the project” and an environmental inspection program would be implemented to ensure compliance with the mitigation measures that become conditions of the FERC authorization.