Land lease approved for USD 6 Bln LNG export facility on Pelican Island

The Port of Galveston convened on Monday to listen to the Woodlands-based NextDecade’s proposal to build a $6 billion liquefaction plant on Pelican Island.

The Board discussed and considered for approval an option to lease between the Board of Trustees of the Galveston Wharves and Pelican Island LNG, relating to the lease of approximately 185 acres of land on Pelican Island for the purpose of developing an LNG export terminal and unanimously voted to grant the lease option.

Shaun Davison, director of development for NextDecade, presented the project before the Board of Trustees of the Galveston Wharves. He said that the company, whose CEO, Kathleen Eisbrenner has vast experience in setting up LNG projects, sees South Texas as a tremendous opportunity in terms of natural gas and existing infrastructure, noting that the Eagle Ford Shale region is abundant in natural gas.

Davison also said that much of the produced gas is being flared off because of the lack of processing facilities.

He also added that the Port of Galveston infrastructure would provide perfect access for the LNG carriers which means no additional dredging and expansions would be necessary.

NextDecade CEO Kathleen Eisbrenner added that Pelican Island is a prime location because of its proximity to the Houston ship channel and nearby pipeline infrastructure. She also said that the expected capacity of the facility would be 6 million tons of LNG per year.

LNG World News Staff, September 23, 2014; Image: Port of Galveston