LNG and 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.
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 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:
- Canadian and U.S. Gulf Coast production (80%)
- 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 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.