Kinder Morgan to up capacity of Sabine Pass LNG feeder pipeline

Kinder Morgan Louisiana Pipeline filed an application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to increase north-to-south capacity by at least 600,000 Dth/d to be delivered to Cheniere’s Sabine Pass LNG terminal.

The project will utilize KMLP’s existing mainline and will require certain modifications to KMLP’s system, according to the application.

The Kinder Morgan Louisiana Pipeline (KMLP) system consists of two pipelines that originate at the Cheniere’s Sabine Pass LNG terminal in Cameron Parish, Louisiana.

One pipeline terminates at Columbia Gulf Transmission Company in Evangeline Parish, Louisiana, and the second pipeline interconnects with Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America (NGPL) and continues on NGPL through leased pipeline capacity to two delivery interconnects near Johnson Bayou, Louisiana. The pipeline system is 135 miles and has a total design capacity of 2.2 billion cubic feet per day, according to Kinder Morgan.

Modifications include construction and operation of delivery point facilities consisting of a tap and lateral to connect to the Sabine Pass LNG export terminal in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, and modification of three existing delivery interconnects to enable receipts of gas in addition to the delivery of gas.

In addition, KMLP intends to build and operate additional compressor station, construction and operation of header pipelines to connect such compressor station to the three existing pipeline interconnects that KMLP proposes to modify and the abandonment and removal of facilities at an existing meter station and the replacement thereof with a larger meter station on the same site.

The total cost for the new KMLP facilities proposed herein is approximately US$151 million. Cheniere has booked the total additional capacity of 600,000 Dth/ day.

Kinder Morgan requested FERC to grant authorization on or before February 28, 2018 in order to have the additional capacity available by April 1. 2019. This would enable KMLP to provide feed gas for Cheniere’s fifth liquefaction train, which is expected to reach substantial completion in the second half of 2019.

The Sabine Pass liquefaction facility, first of its kind to export U.S. shale gas, started shipping the chilled fuel from Train 1 in February this year.

Cheniere is developing and constructing up to six liquefaction trains at Sabine Pass, each with a nominal production capacity of approximately 4.5 million tons per annum of LNG.

Trains 1 and 2 at the LNG export plant have achieved substantial completion in May and September, respectfully, while Train 3 is undergoing commissioning. Trains 4 and 5 are under construction, and Train 6 is fully permitted.

 

LNG World News Staff