FERC revises Kenai LNG Cool Down EA date

Kristen Nelson

Petroleum News

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said Aug. 5 that it will issue an environmental assessment for Trans-Foreland Pipeline Co.’s Kenai LNG Cool Down Project on Sept. 3, with a 90-day federal authorization decision deadline of Dec. 2.

Trans-Foreland filed an application with FERC for the project in March 2019 and an original schedule had called for release of an EA Dec. 13, 2019, with a 90-day federal authorization decision deadline March 12, 2020.

That original schedule was revised in December 2019 after Trans-Foreland told FERC in October of that year that it would not file certain information until January 2020.

FERC staff issued a follow-up data request Dec. 9, 2019.

Trans-Foreland is proposing facility modifications at the Kenai LNG Plant to bring parts of the plant out of warm idle to allow for import of liquefied natural gas with the goal of providing up to 7 million standard cubic feet per day of natural gas to Trans-Foreland’s affiliated Kenai Refinery.

FERC suspended the schedule in April of this year because an equivalency determination was required from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration. The original equivalency determination from PHMSA addressed project siting, FERC said, but did not address another issue, location of the trim vaporizer.

FERC said PHMSA issued a letter in May, “clarifying that it had no objection to the location of the trim vaporizer.”

In an April 2019 project description the company said Trans-Foreland Pipeline Co. owns the Kenai LNG Plant, which is operated by Trans-Foreland’s affiliate Tesoro Logistics GP. Trans-Foreland is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tesoro Alaska Co. and since 2018 has been part of Marathon Petroleum Corp.

The project includes installation, construction and operation of a new boil-off gas booster compressor unit, trim vaporizers, ancillary facilities, additional LNG transfer system valves and equipment to manage existing BOG facilities.

- KRISTEN NELSON