Page 11 - NorthAmOil Week 21 2021

NorthAmOil PROJECTS & COMPANIES NorthAmOil

New Fortress seeks court review

of FERC’s Puerto Rico LNG decision

PUERTO RICO NEW Fortress Energy has asked a federal appeals that the LNG plant is already in operation and
court to review a US Federal Energy Regulatory that the federal permitting process would require
Commission (FERC) decision asserting jurisdic- a lengthy federal review. The company requested
tion over the San Juan LNG terminal in Puerto a rehearing from the FERC, but this was effec-
Rico and requiring the company to apply for a tively denied recently when the regulator did not
permit for the facility. act on the request within the required timeframe,
The import terminal was commissioned in leading to New Fortress lodging a petition for
April 2020 and supplies LNG to industrial users review to the US Court of Appeals for the DC
and microgrids in Puerto Rico via trucks, as well Circuit on May 24.
as providing gas to two units of the adjacent San New Fortress and its main customer, the
Juan combined cycle power plant. Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA),
Two months after the LNG facility was have argued that disrupting operations at the
brought online, the FERC issued an order for LNG terminal would severely affect efforts
New Fortress to show why the facility was not to meet the island’s energy needs. The case is
subject to the regulator’s jurisdiction under Sec- also set to test the limits of the US regulator’s
tion 3 of the Natural Gas Act. The FERC subse- jurisdiction.
quently asserted its jurisdiction over the facility The FERC has not asked New Fortress to shut
in March 2021, ordering New Fortress to apply down the LNG plant while this issue is being
for a federal permit within six months. resolved, but there is uncertainty over what will
New Fortress is contesting this decision, given happen to the facility.™

ENERGY TRANSITION

Suncor sets net-zero emissions target

CANADA CANADA’S Suncor Energy has unveiled a new company intends to achieve this by improving
target of net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emis- the efficiency of its current facilities rather than
sions by 2050. It is the latest among a growing by building new projects
number of oil companies to set a net-zero target, “We will continue to produce oil sands for
having stepped up its decarbonisation ambitions many decades to come,” Little stated, adding
from a previous target of reducing the emissions that the company would not sell assets in order
intensity of its output by 30% by 2030 compared to reach its emissions targets.
with 2014 levels. Suncor intends to reduce its emissions
At Suncor’s annual investor day this week, through various initiatives, including by using
company executives said the producer would lower-carbon power and investing in carbon
now cut absolute emissions across its oper- capture and storage (CCS) facilities. It is also
ations by 10mn tonnes per year, or 34%, by planning to grow its renewable fuels, electricity
2030 compared with 2019 emissions levels of and hydrogen businesses. The company said
29mn tpy. this includes helping its customers to lower their
This is about 25% more aggressive on an own emissions by providing them with cleaner
intensity basis per barrel than the company’s energy choices.
previous target, Suncor’s CEO, Mark Little, told Little also criticised international companies
the Canadian Press following his investor day that are attempting to reduce their emissions by
presentation. selling carbon-intensive assets such as oil sands
“At some point, you have to start making operations.
absolute reductions,” Little told the Financial “In our view, if the world is going to get to
Post in a separate interview. net zero, it clearly can’t be from companies
At the same time, though, the company is passing assets around to each other. We’re
planning to keep ramping up its oil production going to get there by coming up with real solu-
to a record-high average of 800,000 barrels per tions that drive down global emissions,” Little
day (bpd) over 2021-25. The oil sands-focused told the Financial Post.™

Week 21 27•May•2021 www. NEWSBASE .com P11