Freeport-McMoRan to Modify Main Pass Design
Freeport-McMoRan has announced that it will amend the design of its Main Pass Energy Hub offshoreLNG project to incorporate closed-loop regasification technology. Noting that ORV technology is the best available technology for regasification, Freeport-McMoRan emphasized in a press statement issued today that “[r]equiring the use of more costly Closed Loop systems, which would consume an incremental 3.5 Bcf per annum for MPEH alone, will only exacerbate the growing energy crisis in our country.”The LNG developer will continue to assess ORV technology and address concerns associated with it. The decision to forego the initial plan to use open-rack vaporizers comes on the heels of Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco’s veto of the project on Friday. In its press statement, McMoRan Exploration Co. said that the alterations to its application should be “processed expeditiously.”