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Court revokes suspension of Sempra LNG terminal
SAN DIEGO
Sempra Energy said a Mexican appeals court has revoked an order to suspend operations at its liquefied natural gas terminal in Ensenada, Mexico.
The San Diego power company reported the development late Monday
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9GL04Q01.htm
June 29, 2010 in LNG | Permalink | Comments (0)
Pipeline safety sparks concern
Decision falls in public hearings officer’s hands; county planners recommend complete denial
By KATIE WILSON
The Daily Astorian
Will a proposed liquefied natural gas pipeline go through Clatsop County? Part of the decision is in the hands of Public Hearings Officer Peter Livingston.
Clatsop County staff have recommended complete denial of Oregon Pipeline LLC's consolidated land use application and Livingston will have until August 20 to issue his decision. The public hearing for the proposed LNG pipeline closed Friday night, but people can still submit testimony and evidence in favor of or against the project. Livingston will take it all into consideration.
More: http://www.dailyastorian.info/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=398&ArticleID=71555
June 28, 2010 in Clatsop County, LNG, Oregon, pipeline | Permalink | Comments (0)
Company drops plan to build island gas terminal
Associated Press - June 26, 2010 10:25 AM ET
LONG BEACH, N.Y. (AP) - A company is dropping a plan to build a liquefied natural gas terminal on an artificial island off the New York and New Jersey coasts.
The Atlantic Sea Island Group had proposed a facility that would handle sea deliveries of up to 1.5 billion cubic feet of gas each day.
It would have been just over 13 miles south of Long Beach, N.Y. and 29 miles off the New Jersey shore.
But the project had been criticized by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Newsday reported Saturday that the company had quietly pulled the plug following the retirement of an executive who had championed the project.
http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=12714176
June 28, 2010 in Environmental issues, LNG | Permalink | Comments (0)
Oregon LNG not prepared
And off we go with hearings on the Oregon LNG/pipelines scheme, and almost 50 percent of the criteria required of them has not been met, with the Clatsop County Planning Staff recommending nonapproval.
You think, this time, the county planning commission will uphold that decision? Especially since OLNG has not proven it is even financially capable of building this project, and in fact is, at this point, after five-plus years, starting from "dead zero"?
Wasn't that five-year first phase lease intended for OLNG/Calpine/Enron/Leucadia, or whatever the other incarnations associated with it are/were, to prove that they could do this project? Well, have they?
As Peter Hansen said (I'm paraphrasing), "We need these approvals so we can start attracting investors." Start attracting investors? While threatened by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's withdrawal of OLNG's application, after a year and a half, for not holding a required "Open Season"?
Seems to me some would almost defy the Clatsop County Planning Commission to even think about approval of this project, or its pipeline, without serious repercussions in light of the current history on this LNG siting issue. And especially on Skipanon Peninsula, of all places.
PATRICK McGEE
Astoria
http://www.dailyastorian.info/main.asp?SectionID=23&SubSectionID=393&ArticleID=71494
June 25, 2010 in Clatsop County, FERC, LNG, pipeline | Permalink | Comments (0)
Sempra Energy's Mexican LNG Unit 'Energia Costa Azul' Inappropriately Removes Key Provision in Environmental Impact Document to Continue its Operations, States Landowner Ramon Eugenio Sanchez Ritchie
Landowner Ramon Eugenio Sanchez Ritchie Uncovers Removal of 'Set Back Cushion' Provision from Environmental Impact Document by Sempra Energy Without Notice or Due Process; Removal was Facilitated Under Questionable Circumstances by a Public Official of the Environmental Agency SEMARNAT, says Sanchez Ritchie
SAN DIEGO, June 24, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- After a victorious court battle against Sempra Energy to regain ownership of his land from Sempra Energy, landowner Ramon Eugenio Sanchez Ritchie today uncovered transgressions by the company that have allowed it to operate out of regulatory compliance in accordance with Mexican law. The removal of this provision would allow the company to continue to operate its LNG plant "Energia Costa Azul" without an area set back cushion that is required by environmental and safety standards.
"Under desperate and dubious circumstances Sempra has hired high-priced lobbyist Antonio Lozano Gracia, Former Attorney General, in order to gain access to, Daniel Cabeza de Vaca, Minister of The Supreme Court, whom is intervening with the Federal Magistrates directly in order to seek a favorable outcome in the grievance they filed and gain time in order to avoid a shutdown of the plant," says Sanchez Ritchie.
"However, in the coming days the plant could be shut down permanently because the Federal Judge has signaled that there are significant irregularities and irresponsible actions such as the cancellation of the plant's 'area set-back cushion' and a pipeline filled with high pressure nitrogen and natural gas running three meters from the property limits of my property, and where just 200 meters from the property line are massive LNG storage tanks that are holding up to a billion cubic feet of gas. On condition number five of the original environmental impact study released in 2003, Energia Costa Azul was required to establish a setback of at least 2,600 linear meters from the edge of the subject property of the LNG project. What's most disturbing is that even a landfill has a 'set back cushion,'" states Sanchez Ritchie.
"The plant is at risk of not only closing but also of permanently losing all of their entitlements associated to the LNG plant, because of their questionable handling of their environmental compliance issues," states C.E. Cortes, Sanchez Ritchie spokesperson.
June 24, 2010 in Environmental issues, LNG, Safety | Permalink | Comments (0)
Thomas D. Elias: LNG efforts continue as in-state needs fade away
June 23, 2010 in LNG, Northern Star, Oregon | Permalink | Comments (0)
About 30 LNG Tankers Anchored Off Fujairah in U.A.E., Pan EurAsian Says
About 30 liquefied natural gas tankers are located off Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, with some holding the cleaner-burning fuel, according to a U.S. energy consultant.
The vessels include 26 Q-class tankers with a capacity of more than 200,000 cubic meters each, Pan EurAsian Enterprises Inc. said in an e-mailed note yesterday, citing data from Odysseus tracking service.
The total capacity of the ships is about 6.4 million cubic meters, or about 13 percent of the world’s floating LNG capacity, according to the Pan EurAsian note. The 30 ships hold about 135 billion cubic feet of natural gas, it said.
June 23, 2010 in LNG | Permalink | Comments (0)
UPDATE: Mexican Court Rules To Suspend Sempra LNG Permits
Sempra Energy (SRE) said Monday that a Mexican federal court has ordered government agencies to suspend the company's operating permits for its liquefied natural gas terminal there, signaling that a land dispute between Sempra and a local rancher may not be moving in the company's favor.
More: http://www.advfn.com/news_UPDATE-Mexican-Court-Rules-To-Suspend-Sempra-LNG-Permits_43315335.html
June 21, 2010 in LNG | Permalink | Comments (0)
Falling demand puts LNG terminal plans up in air
Decision on Goldboro plant to be made later in 2010By JUDY MYRDEN Business Reporter
Sat. Jun 19 - 4:54 AM
Developers of a $700-million liquefied natural gas terminal in Goldboro will make a decision later this year on the project’s future.
Falling demand and prices for natural gas has Maple LNG Ltd., the Canadian subsidiary of 4Gas, a Dutch company developing LNG terminals globally, taking a hard look at its proposed energy project in Guysborough County.
"Right now, certainly, owners are not in the position to say, ‘Well, let’s go and spend more money,’ " said Derek Owen, general manager of Maple LNG, which is headquartered in Halifax. "It’s in a holding pattern based on very significant changes in the worldwide market conditions, and particularly in the natural gas situation in North America, and what you can sell the natural gas for. It is at quite a low level that is not attracting the LNG from other sources."
June 19, 2010 in LNG | Permalink | Comments (0)
Chinook Ventures lease in jeopardy over permit violations
Longview-based Chinook Ventures is facing possible eviction by state regulators following repeated environmental violations in its clean up of the the former Reynolds Metals Co. site.
Bill Wagner / The Daily NewsThe waterfront at Chinook Ventures seen from Highway 30 on Rainier Hill.
State, county and federal regulators have penalized Chinook multiple times, including:
• A $92,000 fine from the Southwest Washington Clean Air Agency last year for failing to control chemical emissions.
• A $150,000 fine from the state Department of Ecology for failing to obtain permits to store and transport chemicals.
• A $40,000 fine from Ecology this year for spilling between 25 and 50 cubic yards of petroleum coke into the Columbia River.
• An order from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers last year to stop all work in the Columbia River after installing piles to build a dock in the water and modifying a conveyor system without proper permits.
Complete article: http://tdn.com/news/local/article_6c0689cc-7a7c-11df-9001-001cc4c03286.html
By Erik Olson / The Daily News | Posted: Thursday, June 17, 2010 11:15 pm
June 19, 2010 in Environmental issues, Washington State | Permalink | Comments (0)
