Golden Pass Products LLC, Houston, has submitted a formal application with the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to construct and operate its proposed LNG project at the existing Golden Pass LNG import facility in Sabine Pass, Tex.
The FERC permitting process will involve an environmental impact study and multiple agency regulatory reviews, a public comment period, and other public input opportunities.
Golden Pass, a joint venture of Qatar Petroleum International and ExxonMobil Corp., started the National Environmental Policy Act prefiling process with FERC in May 2013 (OGJ Online, May 17, 2013).
The project has received US Department of Energy authorization for exports to Free-Trade Agreement countries and is awaiting DOE approval to export to non-FTA nations (OGJ Online, Aug. 20, 2012).
The company says a final investment decision is expected in 2015, after which Golden Pass would invest $10 billion over 5 years to build the proposed facility, which would create about 45,000 direct and indirect jobs across the nation during the construction phase.