AOGP FLNG project reaches milestones

Earlier this month, Excelerate Energy received the Notice of Schedule for Environmental Review from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), as well as the Letter of Recommendation (LOR) from the US Coast Guard, for its Aguirre Offshore GasPort Project (AOGP).

The AOGP will be a floating LNG (FLNG) regasification facility off the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The facility will provide fuel to the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority’s (PREPA) Central Aguirre Power Plant and is a step forward in the island’s strategy to convert power generation from high-cost, high-emissions imported oil to cost-effective, cleaner-burning natural gas.

These notices indicate that there are no major obstacles for the proposed facility and the project is progressing in a positive manner.

The FERC schedule establishes the estimated dates on which the FERC staff will complete the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and the 90-day Federal Authorization Decision deadline. These dates are 19 December 2014 and 19 March 2015, respectively. The schedule accounts for full public participation and review, and ensures the review process will be thorough and complete.

Daniel Bustos, Chief Development Officer of Excelerate Energy, said: “We are pleased to see the schedule published as it demonstrates the FERC’s readiness to move forward with our project. We now have a tangible project timeline to work with that is not speculative.

“Our goal has always been to deliver a safe and reliable project as quickly as possible to PREPA. Although we were hoping to have the EIS issued by the end of the third quarter, we do not see the extended timeline to be of significant impact to the project. We anticipate we will be able to make up some of the time as we move forward in the process.

“We are pleased to note that at present all of our work has been completed well within the timeframe FERC has announced.”

The US Coast Guard’s LOR decision to FERC for the project conveys the Coast Guard’s recommendation on the suitability of the waterway surrounding the Jobos Bay for accommodating LNG marine traffic as it relates to safety and security. The Coast Guard provided its recommendation after a thorough review and evaluation of the waterway in consultation with a variety of commonwealth and local port stakeholders.

“Having the Coast Guard’s support is crucial to the success of this project,” stated Mr Bustos, “We are pleased they confirmed the safety and security of the location of the facility.”

Pending FERC’s approval, Excelerate is targeting Q4 2015 to be in service.

Edited from various sources by Callum O'Reilly

Read the article online at: https://www.lngindustry.com/floating-lng/13052014/excelerate_flng_project_reaches_milestone_573/