Jordan Cove Energy Project

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Not to be confused with Cove Energy plc.
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Jordan Cove lies within Coos Bay, Oregon

The Jordan Cove Energy Project is a proposal by Calgary-based energy company Pembina[1] to build a liquefied natural gas export terminal within the International Port of Coos Bay, Oregon. The natural gas would be transported to the terminal by the Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline.

Facility[]

The site proposed for the Jordan Cove Energy Project is located on property controlled by the International Port of Coos Bay, which is zoned for industrial development. The facility would consist of two full containment storage tanks, each with a capacity of 160,000 cubic metres (5,650,347 cu ft). It would have a single marine berth for loading liquefied natural gas and a dedicated tractor tug dock.[2] The facility would be located on the north shore of Coos Bay, approximately seven nautical miles from the channel that connects the bay to the Pacific Ocean,[3] and about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) northwest of North Bend Municipal Airport.[4] The facility is being designed to accommodate about two vessels per week. Each ship will take less than 24 hours to load its cargo.[5] The cost of development at the site is set at $6 billion.[6]

The terminal would employ about 60 people, and construction of the terminal and pipeline would employ about 450 people over more than three years [7]

Pipeline[]

Natural gas would be transported to the Jordan Cove liquefaction terminal by the 234-mile (377 km) long [8] Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline. The buried, 36-inch-diameter (910 mm) natural gas pipeline would take a diagonal course, heading from Coos Bay southeast to Malin, Oregon. The proposal includes four natural gas meter stations, at Jordan Cove; at milepoint 69.7 in Douglas County; at Shady Cove in Jackson County; and at milepoint 230.9 in Klamath County. The pipeline would terminate at the border between Oregon and California, where it would connect with existing pipeline belonging to Gas Transmission Northwest, Tuscarora Gas, and Pacific Gas and Electric Company, at the proposed Buck Butte, Russell Canyon, and Tule Lake meter stations.[8] The pipeline would cross the Coast Range between Coos Bay and Roseburg, with its central point near Shady Cove, Oregon.[9] The pipeline route crosses five major rivers: the Coos, Coquille, Rogue, South Umpqua, and Klamath rivers [10] and would cross land owned by the state, the federal government, and private individuals. About 675 private landowners,[11] would be compensated by the pipeline company for the use of their land, with prices set either through negotiation or via the legal process of eminent domain seizure.[12] The cost to construct the pipeline was estimated at $1.5 billion.[13]

Power plant[]

The South Dunes Power Plant is a proposed combined cycle natural gas fueled power plant, built to provide power to the liquefaction facility. Locating on-site, it would have a peaking capacity of 420 MW. Permitting of the facility falls under the authority of the Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council.[14]

History[]

According to PBS Newshour the original intent was for the facility to be used to import natural gas into the USA, prior to the development of the exploitation of petroleum resources through "fracking".[15] In December 2007, the Jordan Cove Energy Project and the Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline applied for approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.[8] An environmental impact statement for both projects was issued in May 2009. The original developers of the Jordan Cove project are Energy Projects Development Limited. The current lead investor in the Jordan Cove terminal is Veresen, an energy infrastructure company based in Calgary, Alberta.[16] The investors in the pipeline are Williams and Veresen.[17] The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the project in December 2009. In April 2012, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission vacated the approval upon notification that the owners would no longer be pursuing an import facility. In May 2013, Jordan Cove filed applications with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to construct and operate a liquefied natural gas export facility.[18] In June 2015, the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, the local Native American tribe, brought their grave concerns before the Jordan Cove Board stating the project directly impacts cultural, historical and archeological resources located throughout Jordan Cove. In July the tribe echoed their concerns in a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Committee.[19]

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission denied the project a permit on March 11, 2016. The reason given was that Veresen had not demonstrated the need for the project, and that the benefits from the project would not outweigh the harm done to individual landowners to justify the use of eminent domain. The pipeline's backers had not yet found buyers for the natural gas.[20] On March 25, Veresen announced that they had found a potential buyer for the gas that would be exported, which was a consortium of Japanese utilities, but no contracts were signed. They suggested they appeal the decision by FERC and lost that appeal on December 2016.[21]

Reactions[]

The Jordan Cove LNG project has been long opposed by impacted communities, including landowners, Tribes, commercial fishermen, and more across Southern Oregon for over a decade.[22] In 2018, a poll found 57 percent either strongly opposed or leaned toward opposing the Jordan Cove Energy Project, versus 22 percent who either leaned toward supporting or strongly supported the project.[23]

US Senator Jeff Merkley[24] and US Representative Peter Defazio publicly oppose this project.[25]

Pembina Pipeline was the sole source of funding for a unit of the Coos County sheriff department, and trained them to wage propaganda battle against protesters.[26]

References[]

  1. ^ Harry Weber; John McManus (November 3, 2017). Richard Rubin (ed.). "Pembina says Jordan Cove Terminal Budget to be Reviewed in 2018". www.platts.com. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  2. ^ "Project". JordanCoveEnergy.com. Archived from the original on 2013-01-27. Retrieved 2013-12-12.
  3. ^ "Supplier Presentation" (PDF). 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-02-27. Retrieved 2013-12-12.
  4. ^ "Final Environmental Impact Statement, Jordan Cove Energy Project, L.P." (PDF). JordanCoveEnergy.com. May 2009. p. 105 / 2–15. Retrieved 2012-02-23.[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ "FAQ". JordanCoveEnergy.com. Archived from the original on 2012-09-04. Retrieved 2013-12-12.
  6. ^ "Jordan Cove Energy Project PLA Press Release" (PDF). April 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-12-14. Retrieved 2013-12-12.
  7. ^ Barnard, Jeff (Dec 18, 2009). "Regulators approve LNG terminal — Governor says he's prepared to appeal". Bend, Ore.: The Bulletin.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Federal Energy Regulatory Commission" (PDF). Retrieved 2013-12-12.
  9. ^ "Pacific Connector Pipeline website". Pacificconnectorgp.com. 2013-02-18. Retrieved 2013-12-12.
  10. ^ "Oregon Waters" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-27. Retrieved 2013-12-12.
  11. ^ "Rogue Riverkeeper". Rogue Riverkeeper. Retrieved 2013-12-12.[permanent dead link]
  12. ^ "No California Pipeline". No California Pipeline. Archived from the original on 2012-07-24. Retrieved 2013-12-12.
  13. ^ "Economic Benefits". JordanCoveEnergy.com. Archived from the original on 2013-06-29. Retrieved 2013-12-12.
  14. ^ "Siting". Oregon.gov. Oregon Department of Energy. Retrieved 2013-12-12.
  15. ^ Christopher Booker (2020-02-09). "Natural gas pipeline proposal fractures Oregon community". PBS Newshour. Retrieved 2020-02-09. This wasn't always the case. The project was initially designed to import natural gas. But after the U.S. fracking boom, it was reconceived as an export facility to supply Asian markets. But through each iteration, there has been opposition arguing the potential economic benefits have never justified the environmental risks.
  16. ^ "About". JordanCoveEnergy.com. Archived from the original on 2013-10-02. Retrieved 2013-12-12.
  17. ^ Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline Archived 2013-11-07 at the Wayback Machine
  18. ^ "Application Submission" (PDF). JordanCoveEnergy.com. May 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-12-14. Retrieved 2013-12-12.
  19. ^ Davis, Chelsea (July 22, 2015). "Tribes have grave concerns about Jordan Cove". The World. Coos Bay World. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  20. ^ Ted, Sickenger (March 11, 2016). "Feds reject Jordan Cove LNG terminal". The Oregonian. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  21. ^ Sickenger, Ted (March 25, 2016). "Jordan Cove LNG finds potential gas buyer, says there is need for the project". The Oregonian. Retrieved 25 March 2016. "Because the record does not support a finding that the public benefits of the Pacific Connector Pipeline outweigh the adverse effects on landowners, we deny Pacific Connector's request...to construct and operate the pipeline," the commission's order said.
  22. ^ "NO LNG EXPORTS". nolngexports.org. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
  23. ^ Sickinger, Ted (2018-05-26). "Survey: Oregonians oppose Coos Bay gas export project". The Oregonian/OregonLive. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
  24. ^ Merkley, Sen Jeff (2017-12-07). "Create jobs without jeopardizing our future". Mail Tribune. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
  25. ^ JOHNSON, NICHOLAS A. "Peter DeFazio announces opposition to Jordan Cove". Coos Bay World. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
  26. ^ "PAID BY THE PIPELINE". 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2020.

External links[]

Coordinates: 43°25′30″N 124°16′08″W / 43.425°N 124.269°W / 43.425; -124.269

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