Liquified Natural Gas
National Information
Maritime Administration, Deepwater Port Licensing (MARAD)
Coast Guard, Deepwater Ports Standards Division
Liquefied natural gas, or LNG, is natural gas in its liquid form. LNG is formed by condensing natural gas to a liquid by chilling it to about -260 degrees Fahrenheit at atmospheric pressure. This process reduces its volume by more than 600 times. As a result, just one shipload of LNG can provide nearly 5 percent (roughly 3 billion cubic feet) of the U.S. average daily demand for natural gas, or enough energy to heat more than 43,000 homes for an entire year.
The United States has been importing LNG for over 35 years. LNG arrives at U.S. coastal ports and is off-loaded into specialized terminals that store the LNG until it is vaporized back to natural gas and shipped through the U.S. natural gas pipeline system.
Liquified Natural Gas Port Projects in Region 9
Clearwater Port Project
Clearwater Port LLC is proposing to construct Clearwater Port, an offshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminal and regasification facility located approximately 12.6 statute miles off the coast of the City of Oxnard in Ventura County, California. The proposed project includes installation of a mooring facility, the conversion of an existing oil and gas platform (Platform Grace) into a regasification facility, and installation of a new 36-inch diameter steel subsea pipeline to bring the gas to shore at a landfall location adjacent to the Reliant Energy Mandalay Power Generating Station. The pipeline will then tie into existing Southern California Gas Company (SCGC) pipeline infrastructure.
The LNG receiving terminal will receive LNG from ocean-going carriers. The facility has been designed for average natural gas flow rates of approximately 1.2 billion cubic feet (bcf) per day with a peak send out rate of 1.4 bcf per day.
Docket for Air Permit Application: EPA Docket EPA-R09-OAR-2007-0948
This docket allows you to register for automatic e-mail updates whenever new documents are added. To register for updates, follow these instructions (PDF) (2pp, 145K)
Please contact Joe Lapka (lapka.joseph@epa.gov, (415) 947-4226) for further information regarding this project.
Cabrillo Port Project
On June 5, 2007, the Maritime Administration denied BHP Billiton's application for a deepwater port license to construct and operate Cabrillo Port. In light of this final action by the Maritime Administration, EPA has closed its files for the air and water permits for this facility and will take no further action on these applications.
Please contact Joe Lapka (lapka.joseph@epa.gov, (415) 947-4226) for further information regarding this project.
Correspondence Regarding BHP Billiton's Deepwater Port License Application
- Letter from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to Sean T. Connaughton, Maritime Administrator, May 18, 2007 (PDF) (3 pp, Scanned, 895K, About PDF)
- Letter from Wayne Nastri to Sean T. Connaughton, Maritime Administrator, May 18, 2007 (PDF) (2 pp, 39K, About PDF)
- Maritime Administration Record of Decision for Cabrillo Port, June 5, 2007 (PDF) (3 pp, 144K, About PDF)
- Letter from Wayne Nastri to Renee Klimczak, BHP Billiton LNG International, June 18, 2007 (PDF) (1 page, 39K, About PDF)