Pending Applications
Overview
To date, eighteen Deepwater Port License Applications have been filed for approval. Sixteen applications were filed for licenses to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) and two applications were filed for licenses to import oil.
Eight applications have been approved; of the eight applications that have been approved, seven licenses have been issued to import both LNG and oil and one license is pending for a LNG port proposed for construction and operation in the Gulf of Mexico. Of the seven licenses issued, two have been surrendered.
One application has been denied; eight applications have been withdrawn; and one application is currently under review.
Bienville Offshore Energy Terminal Port (TORP L.P.)
TORP Technology LP filed an application on January 12, 2006 for a Liquefied Natural Gas facility to be located in the Gulf of Mexico, 63 miles south of Mobile Point, AL. The proposed facility will consist of a HiLoad Unit, a floating structure connecting directly to the Liquefied Natural Gas carrier hull. The Maritime Administration and the U.S. Coast Guard stopped the regulatory timeline for processing the application on August 21, 2007 after determining that additional information was needed to effectively process the application.
On October 9, 2008, the applicant elected to withdraw its application in order to consider technical modifications to its proposed project. A revised application was submitted on June 30, 2009, featuring a redesigned terminal using closed loop ambient air technology for LNG vaporization, and a Notice of Amended Application and Notice of Intent to produce a supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) was published in the Federal Register on August 5, 2009. An initial public hearing was held in Mobile, AL on December 8, 2009, and the final public hearing was held in Mobile, AL on March 31, 2010.
As a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil platform explosion and subsequent spill, the Governor requested an extension of his decision period. The extension was granted with a new due date of June 16, 2010. A second extension by the Governor was granted, with a new due date of September 14, 2010.
Current Status: The Governor's Decision on the project is required on or before September 14, 2010. The Record of Decision is being prepared and will be issued on or before October 29, 2010.
Website: Bienville Offshore Energy Terminal
Link to the Federal Docket for the Bienville Offshore Energy Terminal (Docket Number: USCG-2006-24644)
