Implicit in this, LNG is a multiple of price of pipeline supplied natural gas in the USA. You have the inherent inefficiencies of liquification/ boiling off, plus the cost of LNG tankers (purpose-built ships of huge size). And with the Russia-Ukraine war, and Europe losing most of its cheap Russian gas supply, LNG is its only source of say 40% of all gas (pipelines from Norwegian fields in the North Sea, plus Algerian gas into Southern Europe, are the main alternatives -- also some gas from Caspian sea area).Can the lines be stopped. Yes. If the land owners have enough political power, they can absolutely stop it. Similar is the needed natural gas line size increase in Massachusetts. In that case, they would not even need any more land. They would either lay another gas line on the existing easement or replace smaller lines with larger ones. This has been going on for many years with no success for the gas companies. The amount able to be transported by the existing pipeline is not enough for the need year round. The solution is to bring in foreign LNG to Everett, MA by tanker for several months in the winter. In addition to home heating by natural gas, nearly all electricity in New England is generated by natural gas. You might point out that we could import natural gas from US ports. Well, the Jones act makes that impossible financially because it only allows US flagged ships to pick up at a US port and unload at another US port. It's the same reason oil coming to refineries in the Northeast mainly come from the middle east while tankers leave the Gulf for foreign customers.
So in effect the Northeast is competing against LNG buyers in Europe and Asia. Last winter, we were paying top dollar (normally Asia, supplied primarily by Qatar and Australia, is the top bidder). USA has become the world's largest LNG supplier on the back of that.
Many of those generators would also be fuelled by natural gas?Anyways, I'm sure locals who drive around Littleton, Westford, Chelmsford see plenty of "No Pipelines" signs in front of houses. Besides natural gas electric generators, we have one nuclear plant in Seabrook, NH and one coal plant that was just completely re-fitted in Bow, NH. There are probably thousands of micro generators all over the region. These are small house/big shed sized buildings with a diesel generator that comes on line when the grid needs them. There are 4 of these within a mile of me.
Statistics: Posted by Valuethinker — Tue Jan 02, 2024 3:09 am — Replies 42 — Views 3679