January 2010 Vol. 237 No. 1

Projects

FERC Issues Certificate For On-Shore Pipeline To Support LNG Port Off Florida

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a certificate of public convenience and necessity to Port Dolphin Energy LLC to build and operate an onshore pipeline to connect to its deepwater LNG port planned off the west coast of Florida. The order marks another milestone in the project. Last month, the U.S. Maritime Administration and U.S. Coast Guard approved the project. This action followed approval in September by Gov. Charlie Crist.

Located 28 miles off Tampa Bay, the port will – with its specially designed LNG vessels– deliver natural gas through an undersea pipeline to connect with the state’s pipeline system four miles inland from Port Manatee. The LNG will be returned to a gaseous state onboard the vessels and fed into the pipeline to serve customers across Florida.

The port will have a peak send-out capacity of up to 1.2 Bcf/d, enough to power more than 1 million homes. When fully operational, Port Dolphin will have enough capacity to meet 15% of Florida’s natural gas needs. Construction is set to begin in 2012 with completion in 2013.