Freeport LNG gets OK to place Noble gas project in service

FERC said on April 11 it had granted a request by units of Freeport LNG to introduce hazardous fluids and place the Noble gas project in service.

“Based on Commission staff review of the commissioning activities, Freeport LNG has demonstrated that the above-mentioned facilities have been constructed in accordance with Commission approval and applicable standards and can be expected to operate safely and reliably as designed,” FERC said.

“Further, based on Commission staff’s inspection and Freeport LNG’s recent construction status reports, I note that Freeport LNG has adequately stabilized the areas disturbed by construction and that restoration of the areas affected by the approved facilities are proceeding satisfactorily,” the regulator said.

Freeport LNG recently won an extension of time from FERC to construct and place into service its Noble gas project.

The regulator granted Freeport LNG’s request from August 2024 for a nine-month extension of time until and including May 31, 2025 to complete construction of its Noble gas project and make it available for service.

Back in June 2021, FERC granted approval to Freeport LNG’s units for the project which will recover helium from a residual gas stream at Freeport LNG’s Oyster Creek pretreatment facility in Brazoria County, Texas.

The order required Freeport LNG to complete construction of the project and make it available for service within three years of the date of the order, or by June 21, 2024.

Helium

According to Freeport LNG’s website, the Noble gas project will help address a growing shortage of helium.

The project will extract helium from the BOG pipeline, and required tie-ins to the existing BOG pipeline, firewater system, nitrogen header, and electric supply at the pretreatment facility.

Freeport LNG said the project is not required for the liquefaction of natural gas but is a separate product stream for commercial purposes.

Extraction of helium associated with the production and storage of LNG is one of only three ways that helium can be captured, it said.

The project will tie into Freeport LNG’s existing BOG line to allow for helium extraction without disruption to LNG operations.