Engineering and consulting firm EXP on May 2 announced a partnership with Galveston LNG Bunker Port (GLBP) to advance a new natural gas liquefication facility in Texas. EXP will provide environmental and regulatory support for the development of the facility which will be adjacent to the Texas City Ship Channel to serve the maritime hubs of Texas City, Galveston, and Houston.
The Galveston LNG Bunkering Port project, spearheaded by GLBP, is set to bolster the marine bunker fuel market in the Galveston Bay and Western Gulf of Mexico region.
With the guidance of EXP, GLBP has submitted the required major permits to federal and state agencies to obtain permission to construct and operate the facility. EXP has conducted environmental surveys and provided coordination and consultations with the federal, state and location agencies that will grant the necessary permits.
Key milestones achieved include the submission of major permit applications, including the Section 404/10 and Section 408 permits to the United States Army Corps of Engineers, and the air permitting application to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
The proposed project encompasses two natural gas liquefaction trains capable of producing approximately 600,000 gallons/day of LNG, alongside two 3mn gallon full containment LNG storage tanks, natural gas liquids and refrigerant storage, feed gas pre-treatment facilities, a bunker vessel loading berth, and associated marine and loading facilities.
The GLBP project, announced in September 2023, is a joint venture between Seapath Group, a maritime subsidiary of Libra Group, and Pilot LNG, a Houston-based clean energy solutions company.
GLBP aims to announce the final investment decision (FID) details for the Shoal Point project by the second half of 2024, with operations expected to commence in late 2026.