USA: Port Dolphin Energy Receives Key State Environmental Permits to Build Deepwater LNG Port Serving Florida

Port Dolphin Energy, LLC announced it has received key environmental permits from the State of Florida to allow construction of onsite components for its offshore Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) terminal.

When completed, specially designed vessel(s) operated by Port Dolphin’s parent company, Hoegh LNG, will return LNG to a gaseous state onboard and move natural gas through the terminal’s pipeline. Port Dolphin’s infrastructure will enable gas suppliers to provide much needed natural gas to help serve the state’s growing energy needs.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) has issued an Individual Environmental Resource Permit to build and operate the port and pipeline. Florida Governor Charlie Crist and the Florida Cabinet voted in November, 2010 to authorize issuance of a long-term easement on State owned submerged lands to accommodate the undersea pipeline. Port Dolphin received its federal Deepwater Port License in October 2009 and a certificate of public necessity and convenience from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in December 2009.

Hoegh LNG is a worldwide leader in the development of floating solutions in the LNG value chain. The unloading facility of this new deepwater port will be located approximately 28 miles southwest of Tampa Bay. The terminal’s pipeline will be capable of transporting up to 1.2 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day, enough to serve more than one million homes. The Florida Public Service Commission has predicted continued growth in Florida’s demand for natural gas, particularly for use in electric power generation.

Hoegh LNG with headquarters in Oslo, Norway, is a fully-integrated shipping company offering long-term floating production, transportation, re-gasification and terminal solutions for LNG. The company operates a fleet of seven LNG carriers, including two innovative Shuttle and Re-gasification Vessels (SRVs). While connected to the buoys, these vessels act as floating terminals while delivering the natural gas to the market. The company is developing several deepwater LNG terminals around the world, including Port Dolphin in Florida.

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Source: Port Dolphin Energy, February 1, 2011;