Page 7 - GLNG Week 27

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Washington State Governor Jay Inslee came out against Tacoma LNG in May. Speaking dur- ing a ceremony to ban hydraulic fracturing in the state, the governor called for investments in renewable sources. “I cannot in good conscience support continued construction of a [LNG] plant in Tacoma or a methanol production facil- ity in Kalama.”
Inslee said previously they might have reduced greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions but “I am no longer convinced that locking in these multi-decadal infrastructure projects are suf- cient to accomplishing what’s necessary”. e puyallup Tribe called on Inslee to halt the con- struction of the Tacoma LNG plant in February 2018.
jordan Cove
Oregon’s DEQ led a 250-page report on July 5, the last day commenting was allowed on the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process, set out by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
Construction of the plant would have diverse impacts on the local environment, FERC said in March, but most of these could be managed.
e Oregonian department disagreed. e FERC report was insu cient and the conclusion – about the manageable impacts – was disputed.
e federal government’s report was “inaccurate and inconsistent with DEQ’s recent review of the proposed project’s impacts on state water quality”.
e DEQ rejected Jordan Cove LNG’s appli- cation for a water quality certificate in May, although allowing the company to reapply should it address the concerns raised. In particu- lar, the agency said there was “insu cient infor- mation to demonstrate compliance with water quality standards, and because the available information shows that some standards are more likely than not to be violated”. Speci c instances singled out by DEQ included the impact of con- struction and operation of pipelines on streams and wetlands, in addition to concerns about drilling materials being released into the Coos Bay estuary.
Oregon’s wildlife department, meanwhile, expressed concerns about the impact on sh- eries. Furthermore, Oregon has also called on FERC to consider the full carbon cycle of the plant. Rather than just the local impact, the com- mission should also consider the burning of the fuel in Asia, it said.
A nal decision from FERC is expected in 2020 on Jordan Cove LNG, the project’s owner, pembina, said in May, with rst LNG targeted for 2025, delayed by a year. production would be 7.8mn tpy from ve trains. ™
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Bangladesh defends gas price hike
PolICy
BANGLADESHI prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has defended the government’s decision to implement a natural gas price hike on July 1, saying the move was necessary to support eco- nomic growth.
Hasina, who was speaking to reporters on July 8 following a ve-day visit to China, said state-run Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Com- mission (BERC) had raised prices in order to help the country meet its growth target of 8.2% for nancial year 2019-20.
e BERC upped average prices by 32.8% BDT7.38 per cubic metre to BDT9.80 per cm at the start of the month.
Hasina pointed to the heavy subsidy burden for LNG imports, which cost BDT62.12 per cm. She said that subsidies a er the price hike would cost the state more than BDT10bn.
“If you really want Bangladesh to grow, you’ll have to accept the [new] gas price,” the prime minister said. She added: “Either we should refrain from increasing economic growth by reducing LNG imports or accept the price hike
in the interest of economic development.” Dismissing arguments that India had lowered its gas prices this year, Hasina said Bangladesh still paid less, with Indian households paying up
to BDT37 per cm.
Hasina also blamed past energy policies, say-
ing that had the government embraced in 2004- 2005 India’s plan to import gas from Myanmar via a pipeline through Bangladesh, then her country could have tapped some of the supply and might have been able to avoid its growing reliance on LNG imports.
Bangladesh reportedly received interest from a dozen companies to build the country’s rst onshore LNG terminal in June. e companies included Mitsui, Korea Gas (KOGAS), Summit Group, petronet LNG and an unnamed French company.
A committee will evaluate the proposals before creating a shortlist and it could take more than a year for a contract to be awarded, which will be on a 20-year build-own-operate (BOO) basis.™
Week 27 11•July•2019 w w w . N E W S B A S E . c o m P7