Puget Sound Energy’s LNG plant is still waiting for the final environmental impact statement, or EIS. This statement is necessary for the project to receive the air quality permit. This delay has pushed back the plant’s launch by one year, from 2019 to 2020.
Puget Sound Energy issued a construction contract two years ago for the plant, storage tank and marine fueling depot. It has a 25-year tidelands lease in the Port of Tacoma, but while it has all the permits, it does not have the EIS. The delay of the air quality permit has led the plant to start on 2020, instead of 2019, which was the initial date.
[smlsubform prepend=”GET THE SAFETY4SEA IN YOUR INBOX!” showname=false emailtxt=”” emailholder=”Enter your email address” showsubmit=true submittxt=”Submit” jsthanks=false thankyou=”Thank you for subscribing to our mailing list”]
Puget Sound activists have opposed to the plant, calling the relevant authorities to review the environmental report. What is more, critics have raised questions about the safety of the plant.
According to local media, after these oppositions, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency ordered a supplemental EIS in January. The EIS aims to analyze the full lifecycle of GHG emissions that the plant would produce.
However, construction work has already started on the site. Puget Sound Clean Air Agency for its part issued a notice of violation for starting work without the air permit, but did not stop the construction.
What is more, a draft report on the plant, issued in October, noted that GHG emissions in the area would be reduced by the LNG storage terminal. This finding is important because the source of gas is necessary for the air permit.
The liquefaction plant will be able to turn about 20 million cubic feet of gas into 250,000 gallons of LNG every day. It will also have the capacity of storing up to 8 million gallons.
The anchor marine tenant will be TOTE, which wants to convert the two ships it uses for Tacoma-Anchorage freight service to run on LNG.