Energy Department Authorizes Dominion’s Cove Point Terminal Facility to Export Liquefied Natural Gas To Non-Free Trade Agreement Countries

摘要

The Energy Department (DOE) this week conditionally authorized Dominion Cove Point LNG, LP (DCP) (Docket No. 11-128-LNG) to export domestically produced liquefied natural gas (LNG) to countries that do not have a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the U.S. from the Cove Point LNG Terminal in Calvert County, Maryland. The approval is pending an environmental review by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). DCP previously received approval to export LNG from this facility to FTA countries on 10/7/11, a few days after the instant application to expand its export authority was filed. The export volume authorized in the FTA order remains the equivalent of 1 Bcf/d of natural gas, whereas the export volume authorized in this order is a lower volume, reflecting a revised liquefaction capacity. “There is no basis for authorizing exports in excess of the maximum liquefaction capacity of a planned facility.”