Gulf LNG Liquefaction LLC and LNG Development Co. LLC d/b/a Oregon LNG each applied to the U.S. Department of Energy for long-term authorization to export LNG to countries with a free trade agreement with the United States.

GLLC submitted an application May 2 to export over a 25-year period about 11.5 million tons per year of LNG - the equivalent of about 1.5 Bcf/d of domestically produced natural gas - from the Gulf LNG Energy LLC terminal in Pascagoula, Miss. (DOE Office of Fossil Energy Docket No. 12-47-LNG)

GLLC asked for the authorization on its own behalf and as agent for other parties. The company said that the application was the first of a two-part export authorization request and that it would file another application for export to non-free-trade-agreement countries.

The Gulf LNG Energy import terminal commenced service Oct. 1, 2011. GLLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Gulf LNG Holdings Group LLC. El Paso LLC, through its subsidiary Southern Gulf LNG CO. LLC, owns a 50% interest in Gulf LNG Holdings. GE Energy Financial Services, a unit of General Electric Co., owns a 46% interest in Gulf LNG Holdings. Other investors own the remaining 4% interest.

Oregon LNG submitted its own export application to the DOE on May 3. (DOE Office of Fossil Energy Docket No. 12-48-LNG) The company asked for authorization to export 9.6 million tonnes of LNG per year - the equivalent of about 456 Bcf of natural gas per year - for a 30-year term. Oregon LNG also planned to file a second application for export to non-free-trade-agreement countries.

Oregon said it sought the authorization for its proposed Oregon LNG Bi-Directional Project. The company said it plans to ask FERC to enter the National Environmental Policy Act prefiling review process "in the near term."

"The Oregon LNG Bi-Directional Project is being developed primarily to liquefy Canadian-sourced supplies of natural gas, and to a lesser extent supplies that may be domestically produced, for export to foreign markets," Oregon LNG wrote in the application.  "The Oregon LNG Bi-Directional Project will be connected to an approximately 86-mile-long interstate pipeline being developed by Oregon Pipeline, which will in turn connect to the interstate natural gas transmission system of Williams Northwest Pipeline Co."

Copyright 2012 SNL Financial LC. All Rights Reserved.

(Originally published May 9, 2012, in SNL Daily Gas Report.)