The Quoddy Tides

Quoddy Bay LLC announced on October 24 that it is evaluating a specific site in Perry for a $230 million liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage facility in connection with the Passamaquoddy Tribe's Split Rock LNG import pier facility. The announcement followed a recent meeting between Quoddy Bay LLC Project Manager Brian Smith and members of the Perry Improvement Association (PIA).

Members of the association earlier this month sent a letter to Smith asking for a meeting to discuss their goals and to prepare a benefit package to present to the voters of Perry. Among the goals outlined in the letter was the identification of landowners interested in selling land in Perry for the installation of a tank farm and regasification equipment to serve the Split Rock terminal facility. The association also plans to meet with Brian Smith next month to negotiate a package beyond the tax benefit of a $250 million project that will benefit all Perry residents.

Quoddy Bay LLC has released an initial layout of the potential Perry LNG storage facility, which calls for three full containment LNG storage tanks, compressors, regasifiers and gas send-out facilities. The proposed facility would be located in between the Old Eastport Road and the Cannon Hill Road in southern Perry. The facility would be used to back up the supply of gas from the Split Rock import facility, approximately one and a half miles away.

Donald Smith, president of Quoddy Bay, says, "While the proposed LNG storage facility in Robbinston works, we have always been open to options and alternatives. The Robbinston plan would involve the laying of an eight-mile underwater pipeline under the bay from Split Rock to bring it ashore underground at Robbinston and pipe it one mile west of the shoreline to the storage tanks. The tanks would be a half-mile west of Route 1 and over a mile from the shore.

Smith adds, "We will continue our engineering evaluations of both the Perry site and the Robbinston site. We know that Robbinston will work, and we believe the Perry site is a viable alternative. The particular site we are looking at in Perry is over a mile from the Passamaquoddy Bay and is over a mile from the open fishing waters of the Cobscook Bay."

The association also plans on sitting down with the Perry selectmen, Pleasant Point Passamaquoddy tribal leaders, the county commissioners, the Sunrise County Economic Council and others to discuss the LNG storage facility along with PIA's other goals for economic development. PIA member David Turner says the meeting will probably occur next month, but more specific details concerning the Perry project are needed before setting a meeting date.