LNG & Maine
Maine and New England need natural gas to fuel our economy in a manner that is protective
of our environment.
New methods of bringing natural gas to Maine are critically important, especially
as oil prices continue to soar and energy demands are increasing.
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The New England
region, and especially Maine, remains particularly vulnerable to the
limited supply
of natural gas available in North America. Natural gas heats many |
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homes in the region
and fuels approximately 40 percent of our electricity-generation
facilities.
LNG is the only near term option for delivering a cheaper, more reliable source
of natural gas to our region.
Natural gas generates the least amount of air pollution per unit of energy produced |
when burned as compared to all other commonly used fossil fuels.
LNG combines the cleanest fossil fuel available with the most efficient combustion |
technologies, resulting in fewer impacts on our climate, air quality and water quality.
Now that so much
of Maine’s electricity is dependent upon natural gas, we must make sure that adequate
supplies are available for the long term.
New England imports all of the natural gas it needs, and Maine would clearly benefit
from having its own LNG storage facility instead of relying upon other sources of
natural gas.
Natural gas in New England is currently supplied by pipeline from:
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Canadian and U.S. Gulf Coast production (80%)
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LNG terminal in Everett, MA (20%). There is No potential for adding capacity to this terminal.
According to a 2005 New England Governor’s Conference report, “adequate LNG storage
capacity is critical to meeting the region’s peak winter natural gas demand.”
As the temporary shutdown of the Sable Island gas field in Nova Scotia in December
2007 showed, we are dangerously close to shortages of gas for heat and electrical
generation. Delivery of LNG by ship is the only |
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method for supplementing the existing
natural gas on this continent, and New England in particular. |
However, even the existence of other northeast seaboard LNG import terminals is
not enough to meet future demand for natural gas.
In summary, current North American supplies of natural gas cannot keep
up with the projected increases in our demand. |
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