The Canadian LNG project developer Veresen has filed two applications with the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for the Jordan Cove Energy Project (Jordan Cove LNG) and the Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline project. The two projects entail the construction and the operation of a 7.8 Mt/year LNG export terminal in Coos Bay, Oregon (US) and the related Pacific Connector that will transport natural gas from the Malin Hub in southern Oregon to the LNG export terminal. Veresen is requesting that FERC issue a Draft Environmental Impact (DEI) Statement in 2018 and expects to take a final investment decision (FID) in 2019. Commissioning could take place in 2024.
In 2016, the FERC rejected the permit application for the 10.3 bcm/year Pacific Connector gas pipeline project, which would supply gas to the Jordan Cove LNG project, considering that the adverse impacts of the proposed gas pipeline project would outweigh the public benefits of the Pacific Connector Pipeline. Consequently, Veresen withdrew its application with the Energy Facility Siting Council to build an adjacent 420 MW power plant, thus reducing the infrastructure footprint, and filed a new application for the LNG project, whose capacity was raised from 6 Mt/year to 7.8 Mt/year. This application included a 1.2 bcf/d (34 mcm/d) gas pipeline connecting the terminal project to the existing systems of Ruby Pipeline and Gas Transmission Northwest. It was rejected by the FERC, which asserted that Veresen had provided no evidence of commercial demand for the facility's product.
For the third application, Veresen changed the scope of the project and adjusted several sections of the gas supply pipeline in order to reduce its environmental impact.