In case you thought LNG export was only for Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Massachusetts, British Columbia, and Nova Scotia, the fossil fuel companies want to push fracked methane out through Georgia, too. KinderMorgan’s Elba Island LNG export terminal, with its north-to-south Elba Island Express pipeline project, is already in the formal permitting process at FERC. And it could easily interconnect with Sabal Trail to get its fracked methane.

KinderMorgan’s Elba Liquefaction Project & EEC Modification Project, announced by Shell 28 January 2013, Shell and Kinder Morgan announce plans to export LNG from the United States, by El Paso Pipeline Partners LP, picked up by Alison Sider in the WSJ 19 December 2013, El Paso, Shell Unit Will Expand Elba Island LNG Project: $500 Million Expansion to Export More Gas from Terminal Near Savannah, Ga, and written up by Mary Landers for Savannahnow.com 14 March 2014, LNG export project moves forward,

Plans continue for $1.5 billion-worth of development at Elba Island to allow the liquefied natural gas import facility to reverse its processes and export the fuel. Southern LNG and Elba Liquefaction Co. filed a formal application for the project with federal regulators earlier this week.

The facility currently imports and stores liquefied natural gas on a private island in the Savannah River about five miles downstream from downtown Savannah. On Monday the companies requested permission from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to build and operate a natural gas liquefaction facility made up of 10 modular, movable units.

That picture of the Elba Island LNG terminal is from Orlando Montoya in GPB News 9 January 2014, LNG Terminal Waits For Decision. Does it look just a little bit like this picture, in AECOM’s undated LNG Terminal Expansion and Pipeline,

The Terminal Expansion proposes adding two additional 200,000-m3 LNG tanks, and modifications to accommodate larger ships. The project pipeline is a 188-mile natural gas pipeline proposed in Georgia and South Carolina.

The project used the FERC Pre-Filing process (January 2006) and filed the combined FERC application in September 2006….

Client

Confidential LNG Client

Well, that client doesn’t seem so confidential anymore. KinderMorgan lists Elba Express Pipeline,

Receiving supply from Elba Island, the new Elba Express pipeline runs northwest, interconnecting with pipelines and customers along the route. The pipeline placed in-service in March, 2010, consists of approximately 190 miles of 42-inch and 36-inch diameter, natural gas pipeline. An additional compressor station is expected to be constructed later, to increase capacity in 2014 or 2015.

KM says that pipeline “runs northwest” because it was installed in LNG import days. Now that LNG export is all the rage, El Paso Pipeline Partners’ El Paso Elba Express (Elba Express) KinderMorgan’s Natural Gas Pipelines map is more relevant:

Auburn,AL through GA to Elba Island LNG

Look what proposed pipeline that existing mesh could easily connect to the Elba Express Pipeline and the Elba Island LNG export terminal. Yep, it’s Sabal Trail.

Perhaps not incidentally, this is the same El Paso Pipeline Partners that wanted to build an undersea pipeline from West Palm Beach, Florida, to the Bahamas.

No, I haven’t seen any announced plans by Spectra to export through Elba Island from the Sabal Trail pipeline. But remember, Spectra expects to “have some involvement” in facilities its pipelines “go right by”. And remember, according to FERC’s John Peconom, it’s the end-user’s decision to apply for export, so Sabal Trail never has to lift a finger to let its fracked methane go out through Elba Island.

Meanwhile, here’s FERC’s Docket PF13-3 for Southern LNG Company, L.L.C. for the Elba Liquefaction and EEC Expansion Projects. On 3 April 2014 there’s this Notice of Elba Express Company, L.L.C’s 3/21/14 filing of an application to add north-to-south transportation capacity to the existing EEC pipeline system by constructing & operating additional compression at Hartwell Compressor Station, CP14-115 et al.. The same day there’s the formal application for an export permit: Notice of Elba Liquefaction Company, L.L.C’s et al March 10, 2014 application requesting authorization to construct and operate its Elba Liquefaction Project under CP14-103 et al. It’s already got a whole flock of intervenors, including Sierra Club, Peoples Gas System, a Division of Tampa Electric Company, Shell NA LNG LLC, JEA, and Effingham County Power, LLC. Who else wants to intervene?

-jsq

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