The US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has issued the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Tellurian’s Driftwood LNG, a proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility, and its associated pipeline project on the US Gulf Coast.
Image: Rendering of Tellurian's Driftwood LNG project. Photo: courtesy of Business Wire.
The Driftwood LNG project, which is estimated to see an investment of $13-16bn, will be built near Lake Charles in Louisiana. The LNG export facility will have a capacity of nearly 26 million tons per annum (mtpa).
Its final EIS follows a draft EIS issued by the US energy regulator in September 2018. It was in mid 2017 when Tellurian had officially sought the approval from the FERC for the LNG project and the associated pipeline.
Tellurian president and CEO Meg Gentle said: “Tellurian thanks the FERC for a thorough review and for remaining on schedule. We look forward to receiving the agency’s order granting authorization to site, construct and operate our Driftwood project.
“Tellurian will then stand ready to make a final investment decision and begin construction in the first half of 2019, with the first LNG expected in 2023.”
The associate Driftwood pipeline, which will be 154km long, will supply gas to the Driftwood LNG facility. The feed gas pipeline will deliver to the LNG facility an annual average of 4 bcf/d of natural gas.
The LNG export facility will be made up of five LNG plants, three 235,000m3 full containment LNG storage tanks, three marine loading berths designed to enable LNG ships up to 216,000m3 and refrigeration compressors powered by GE aero derivative natural gas turbines.
The Driftwood LNG facility is expected to incorporate liquefaction technology from Chart Industries’ Integrated Pre-cooled Single Mixed Refrigerant (IPSMR) process.
Last month, Tellurian’s subsidiary Tellurian Trading UK signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Vitol to supply 1.5 million tons per annum of LNG stored at the Driftwood LNG export terminal for a minimum term of 15 years.
Tellurian expects the Driftwood LNG project to generate nearly 6,400 jobs during its construction phase followed by around 400 new permanent jobs upon its full operations.
In November 2017, Tellurian signed four engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) agreements, worth $15.2bn with Bechtel.