U.S. operators are showing more interest in building LNG terminals, thanks to the rise in domestic gas production and the elimination of long-standing curbs on gas exports. The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has received so many applications in the last few years that it is setting up a new body to handle engineering, review, and oversight issues related to LNG projects.
According to FERC chairman Neil Chatterjee, the commission is setting up the Division of LNG Facility Review and Inspection (DLNG) within one of its own subsidiaries, the Office of Energy Projects (OEP).
“As the demand for U.S. LNG and the number and complexity of project applications has grown, the commission has experienced a similar growth in the need for FERC to expand its oversight in this program area,” Chatterjee told Oil & Gas Journal.