Australian firm proposes LNG terminal in ocean off Malibu coast

[question everything]

Australian firm proposes LNG terminal in ocean off Malibu coast

By Tim Molloy
ASSOCIATED PRESS

March 16, 2006

LOS ANGELES – In the latest proposal to import liquefied natural gas to California, an Australian company has unveiled plans to place a terminal about 22 miles off the coast of Malibu.

The plan announced Wednesday by Woodside Energy attempts to sidestep fears from environmentalists and some residents that importing natural gas is too dangerous because it is volatile and potentially explosive in its gaseous state.

Woodside wants to ship supercooled LNG from Australian fields to the California coast in specially designed tankers. But unlike other proposed terminals off the West Coast, the plan doesn't require any large, permanent structures.

Instead of feeding vaporized natural gas into a pipeline at a terminal, the delivery tanker would take in an underwater buoy attached to a flexible pipe leading to a larger pipe along the ocean floor. The larger pipe would come ashore in an industrial area near Los Angeles International Airport, said Jane Cutter, president of Woodside Natural Gas, a subsidiary of Woodside Energy. The location of the buoy would not interfere with coastal views, shipping lines, or natural habitat, Cutter said.

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On the Net:
Woodside: www.oceanwaysecureenergy.com

Environmental Defense Center: edcnet.org


Find this article at:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20060316-0112-wst-lngterminal.html

[depakid]

1. Welp, LA is an incredibly wasteful and energy intensive place

and they "need" natural gas (which is in depletion in North America).

It's gotta come from somewhere....