Safe Energy

For over 40 years, there has not been an accident involving liquefied natural gas that has affected a member of the public anywhere in the world

• Exemplary Safety Record
  The liquefied natural gas industry has an exemplary 40-year safety record. Since 1964 an estimated 50 billion metric tons has been produced, 45,000 voyages have been completed over more than 60 million nautical miles, (see Center for Liquefied Natural Gas) without a single maritime incident resulting in major release or injury. Today there are 38 liquefaction plants and 47 receiving terminals in operation worldwide, including five facilities in the United States similar to Bradwood Landing.
• Global Industry
  Today, more than 150 ocean going ships carry over 110 million tons per year of liquefied natural gas over great distances. There are 38 liquefaction plants and 47 receiving terminals now in operation worldwide with a further 12 under construction and as many as 45 terminal projects in various stages of planning. Japan, Korea and Taiwan depend almost entirely on liquefied natural gas for all the gas consumed in these countries. Europe, which is connected by pipelines to Siberia’s vast reserves, nevertheless has 11 operating terminals with another 13 planned or under construction. The liquefied natural gas industry is a safe, reliable and fast growing business that connects needy markets, such as the United States, with a world wide supply of safe and clean burning natural gas.
• Commonly Used: Boston and Beyond
  Although import volumes in the US lag behind those of other industrialized countries, in the United States too, the production, storage and transportation of liquefied natural gas is a mature industry with an exemplary safety record. Currently, there are five operating marine receipt facilities in the U.S. similar to the proposed Bradwood Landing (Boston, MA, Cove Point, MD, Elba Island, GA, Lake Charles, LA and Ponce, Puerto Rico). In addition, there is one export terminal associated with a liquefaction plant (Kenai, Alaska) and there are 57 land-based storage terminals with liquefaction capacity primarily used for peak shaving and load management.
• Commonly Used: Busy Ports and Upriver Traffic
  Liquefied natural gas ships arrive on a weekly basis in Boston Harbor passing safely through the crowded waters of Boston, underneath bridges and within close proximity to major population centers. In addition, each week, liquefied natural gas ships travel as far as 48 miles inland through a dredged channel and a canal from the Gulf of Mexico to the Lake Charles LNG Terminal in Louisiana.
• Already in Oregon
  In Oregon, two plants that liquefy and store natural gas for peak shaving purposes have been operating safely for many years. These plants, one of which is located in Portland and one in Toledo, Oregon, are more intricate in nature than the receiving terminal proposed for Bradwood landing because they contain the necessary equipment to liquefy the natural gas as well as re-gasify it.
• Double Hull Ships
  Liquefied natural gas ships represent state of the art in naval design and they are crewed by highly skilled personnel with the most advanced navigation and propulsion equipment available. For both containment and safety, ships are constructed with doubled walled hulls and double membrane tanks. As shown in the picture (below), the total thickness of the double hull and tank wall is more than six feet, providing a significant safety factor. They are regularly inspected by and their navigation plans must be approved by the U.S. Coast Guard.
  
  
• An Approved Safety Navigation Plan
  All ships calling at Bradwood Landing are subject to strict safety procedures and will operate under regulations of the U.S. Coast Guard and Department of Homeland Security. Specifically, the U. S Coast Guard, in consultation with NorthernStar, Columbia River Bar and River pilots, local authorities and fishermen, is developing a detailed waterway transit plan. Under the direction of the U.S. Coast Guard, an appropriately-sized safety zone will be established for ships arriving at Bradwood Landing to ensure safe river navigation in a way that minimizes impacts on regular river users. Ship arrivals at Bradwood Landing will be coordinated to avoid peak river traffic periods, such as during the Buoy 10 fisheries.
• Inherently Safe
  As a liquid, liquid natural gas cannot explode or burn. If liquid natural gas is spilled, the resulting vapor will warm up, become lighter than air and disperse with the prevailing wind. Although liquid natural gas is colorless, should it be released into the air, the cold vapor would appear as a white cloud. The lighter-than-air property of liquid natural gas actually makes it less hazardous than some other fuels, such as propane, butane or gasoline, whose vapors are heavier than air and can travel considerable distances close to the ground. In its gaseous form, natural gas can burn only if it is released into the air, mixed with the correct proportion of air (5 to 15 percent of natural gas) and then finds a source of ignition. Too little air, and there is not enough oxygen to sustain a flame. Too much air and the natural gas is diluted too much to ignite.