2008 Jul 15
ST. ANDREWS — The co-chair of Save Passamaquoddy Bay/Canada says it is disturbing to watch Calais LNG casually disregard the Canadian government’s opposition to liquefied natural gas developments on Passamaquoddy Bay and Canada’s jurisdiction over Head Harbour Passage.
Jessie Davies was speaking after Calais LNG’s open house last week, during which the company promoted their plan to build an LNG terminal on the outskirts of Calais.
The company plans to build a $500 million receiving terminal and storage facility on a 135 hectare site at Red Beach which features 850 metres of shoreline along the deep water banks of the St. Croix River and Passamaquoddy Bay.
The land is located between Devil’s Head Conservation Park and St.Croix Island. Plans also call for a pier to be built in the St. Croix River across from Bayside and the gas would be piped along the pier to two storage tanks.
The company has also recently begun the pre-filing process, which is part of the U.S. regulatory review under the auspices of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
According to the company’s website, they have secured the financial support of Goldman Sachs as a key investor and put together a group of highly-experienced industry and regional experts dedicated to bringing a state-of-the-art facility to Maine that [would] provide a reliable, safe source of energy.
“We appreciate that the Canadian government has said that they will not allow dangerous cargo to travel through Head Harbour Passage. However, it seems to be making no difference to the companies putting these proposals forward,” said Davies.
Both the federal and provincial governments have voiced their opposition to any LNG development in Passamaquoddy Bay as have all the municipal councils in Charlotte County.
Calais LNG is the third company proposing to build an LNG terminal along the Maine coast of Passamaquoddy Bay — the other two are Downeast LNG and Quoddy Bay LNG.
In order to reach the three sites, tankers need to travel through Canadian waters. That Calais LNG is going forward with this process despite the Canadian government’s refusal to let the tankers through the passage leaves Save Passamaquoddy Bay/Canada wondering just what the Canadian government would have to do for these companies to realize that they can’t ignore Canada’s jurisdiction in this area.
Downeast LNG is proposing to build and operate a liquefied natural gas terminal in Robbinston, Me., which would involve the construction of a $400-million facility over three years on a 32-hectare parcel of land. The facility would include a pier, up to two LNG storage tanks, re-gassification equipment and a pipeline to transport the gas to the Maritime and Northeast Pipeline.
Quoddy Bay LNG proposes to build an import terminal in Passamaquoddy Bay.
The LNG import and re-gasification facility [would] include a pier, two vessel berths and a re-gasification process platform.
The Split Rock support facility [would] include a control building, office and warehouse.
SPB/Canada is a citizen’s group formed to spearhead Canadian opposition to LNG terminals proposed for the Maine shore of Passamaquoddy Bay. SPB/C is a member of Save Passamaquoddy Bay, a three-nation alliance, with groups based in Eastport and Robbinston, Me., and Passmaquoddy tribal members.
© 2008 Advocate Media
Article republished on Save Passamaquoddy Bay website with permission.
The Saint Croix Courier, St. Stephen, NB