Group visits planned LNG terminal sites -- The Quoddy Tides, Eastport, Maine

The July 12 meeting of the Maine and New Hampshire Port Safety Forum held at the Boat School in Eastport included slide presentations by Downeast LNG and Quoddy Bay LNG representatives. Both companies propose to construct liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities in the Quoddy Bay area.

Dean Girdis, president of Downeast LNG, outlined plans and progress on a proposal to construct a terminal and tank storage facilities at Mill Cove in Robbinston. Downeast LNG proposes to construct a 3,800-foot pier and at least one full containment tank.

Brian Smith of Quoddy Bay LNG outlined plans for the construction of a terminal at Split Rock at Pleasant Point and the construction of storage tanks in Perry. Quoddy Bay proposes to support a daily natural gas send out capacity of approximately 2 billion cubic feet per day. The terminal will incorporate two shipping berths, three 160,000 cubic meter cryogenic LNG storage tanks, as well as a cogeneration plant to supply power to the terminal.

Robert Godfrey, a member of Save Passamaquoddy Bay, presented a recently completed study by Yellow Wood Associates Inc. of St. Albans, Vt., commissioned by Save Passamaquoddy Bay, which raises serious issues concerning the economic consequences of the LNG projects.

Members of the public and members of the Maine and New Hampshire Port Safety Forum then inspected, by water, the proposed terminal sites, sailing on the schooner Halie & Matthew.

The Port Safety Forum is a nonprofit, volunteer association established in 1990. It serves the public interest towards the safe and efficient operation of vessels and marine shoreside facilities; and the protection of the environment from marine casualties in the coastal waters of Maine and New Hampshire. The meeting was chaired by U.S. Coast Guard Captain Steve Garrity of Sector Northern New England.

FERC site visit

In addition to the port safety forum, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission staff were scheduled to conduct a public site visit of Quoddy Bay LNG's project site at Pleasant Point on July 13. FERC staff will consider the proposed LNG import terminal, the storage facility in Perry, dual cryogenic pipelines between the terminal and storage facility and a 35-mile-long sendout pipeline for its environmental impact statement.