Sentinel Midstream’s deepwater oil export project is granted an air permit by the EPA
On Monday, the U.S. Environmental regulator announced that it had granted an air permit to Sentinel Midstream for its proposed deepwater oil project off Texas' coast.
According to a press release, the Environmental Protection Agency has issued a permit under the Clean Air Act that permits the use of auxiliary vessels to control volatile organic compounds at the proposed Texas GulfLink deepwater terminal.
Why it Matters
U.S. president Donald Trump wants to see projects approved faster, especially those that boost the U.S. oil and gas industry. This permit will bring Sentinel closer to making a final investment.
CONTEXT
According to the EPA this is the first time the United States has used this technology in conjunction with a very large crude carrier as it is being loaded. Similar technology was also used on shuttle tanks in the North Sea.
The offshore project is expected to be located about 30.5 miles from Freeport, Texas. It aims to be capable of fully loading a supertanker each day with approximately 2 million barrels. The project received a record decision in February, a key step in the permit process. It is now awaiting a construction license.
Only one U.S. Port can currently fully load supertankers, and that is the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port. Due to restrictions on draft, other facilities are only able to load supertankers partially. This means they must use smaller vessels to transport crude oil to the larger vessel in order to fill it.
KEY QUOTE
Scott Mason, EPA Regional Administrator said: "EPA has kept its promise by issuing the first Clean Air Act Deepwater Port Permit since President Trump's return to office. This will unleash American energy dominance as well as economic prosperity." (Reporting and editing by Rosalba o'Brien in Houston. Arathy samaseskhar is based in Houston.
(source: Reuters)
