Posted on 09/19/2006 11:29:44 AM PDT by thackney
SABINE PASS - Three large red cranes and a least a dozen pilings towering over the marsh and waterway look like children's toys from the top of the lighthouse-style lookout at the Sabine Pass School.
In three years, the Golden Pass LNG terminal is expected to be receiving liquefied natural gas from Qatar, warming the natural gas from its chilly minus 260 degrees Fahrenheit and sending it through pipelines.
On Monday at the school, local and company officials, community members and others celebrated the beginning of the construction of the nearly $2 billion facility, which marks the end of the three-year odyssey of federal permitting, negotiations, agreements, public hearings and other meetings and paperwork.
"Construction has begun," John Plugge, Golden Pass LNG president, announced. "I'm looking forward to the first gas celebration in 2009."
This project will employ 1,000 workers at the height of construction and take three million labor hours. It requires almost as much concrete as Reliant Stadium in Houston, 50 million pounds of steel and 5,000 valves, said Philip Asherman, president and chief executive officer of The Woodlands-based Chicago Bridge & Iron, the project's contractor
"This project is a small part of much larger project," I.B. Ibrahim, director of Qatar Petroleum, said after the meeting. The total project - from the start of the QatarGas 3 and Ras Laffan 3 projects offshore in Qatar's North Field and building double-hulled LNG ships, the pipeline and other components - is valued at up to $14 million.
QatarGas 3 LNG project broke ground in April, according to the Qatar Gas Web site.
The Golden Pass LNG project is a partnership of Qatar Petroleum, ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips.
ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips vice presidents Randy Howard and Mike Stice, respectively, and Rashid Al Khater, consul general of the state of Qatar at the Houston consulate, also were at the celebrations.
Ibrahim said Sabine Pass is a good location because of its spot on the Sabine-Neches Waterway, the local community's support and the port's efficiency.
The local work force and business climate also helped push the project forward, added Plugge.
Local elected officials, including U.S. Rep. Ted Poe, R-Humble; Jefferson County Judge Carl Griffith; and Port Arthur Mayor Oscar Ortiz welcomed the facility.
Gov. Rick Perry couldn't attend because of the funeral for former Gov. Ann Richards, but sent a letter.
"How many of you knew where Qatar was before this project?" Griffith asked rhetorically at the celebration.
"(The project) will stabilize the chemical industry in taking some of the volatility in the market," Griffith predicted.
CB&I has a hiring office in Sabine Pass across from the fire station. Also, interested companies can go to www.goldenpasslng.com, click on "contact us," then "contractor and employment information."
I guess this is good for Florida as a never ending fleet of LNG ships going past is much more pleasing to the tourist's eye than production platforms.
"In three years, the Golden Pass LNG terminal is expected to be receiving liquefied natural gas from Qatar"
We must be using a whole lot of NG, they are drilling everywhere here from the shale in the FW area but we are still importing from Qatar.
Maybe its for Canada too?
I wonder how that will affect the price of Texas NG.
Maybe they can build a new Sartin's and everyone can have BBQ crabs to their heart's content!
I'm happy for the people of Sabine Pass - they earned it.
We also buy a lot from Trinidad and Tobago.....
Gas from Canada? That would be shipped by Pipeline
The whole Golden Triangle will benefit from the LNG plant. Lots of jobs, etc. Rita will not stop these people long. One year ago on the 24th of this month. The forgotten storm.
Prop 2, Alaska ballot, is to tax the gas that is not being produced. The ad currently playing on radio from the oil/gas industry is kind of ludicrous. They don't want the tax and threaten no pipeline ever. Well, after 30 years of not producing the gas it is not impressive to make that threat. But with NG being at $5 maybe it is not the time to push for the pipeline anyway. When it was at $15 they were pushing hard. Which is also ludicrous since it will take ten years to build the pipeline and who knows where gas will be then. FWIW
Not by me. It made me join FR!
Now you see the perils of being in the oil business. And yet everyone is praying for our demise. I don't get it sometimes.
BBQ crabs?
I thought the only storm last year affected only blacks in NO, and it was a Republican conspiracy. At least that's how the MSM makes it out to be.
Snort.
Probably about as many as knew where SWabine Pass was before the the Project. LOLO
They are incredible. And the fried shrimp will make you slap you momma.
A news guy today said Rita was the third most (in terms of dollars) damaging natural disaster ever. I think behind Katrina and Andrew. Very few people down here bitch and moan like they do in New Orleans.
They got the new NOLA candy bar: All chocolate and full of nuts.
SWabine Pass =Sabine Pass
I have my doubts about Tobago. We buy about 2% of our Natural Gas from Trinidad.
U.S. Natural Gas Imports by Country
http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/dnav/ng/ng_move_impc_s1_a.htm
Natural Gas Consumption by End Use
http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/dnav/ng/ng_cons_sum_dcu_nus_a.htm
I loved the fried soft shells are Sartin's - the best breading I've had anywhere, or maybe it was just good grease, but very garlicky flavor.
Everyone else stuffed themselves on the BBQ's and I always ate all the fried soft shells they could bring me, which didn't leave me any room for ordering shrimp - but I bet it was that same good breading.
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