The U.S. maritime infrastructure company Seapath and its joint venture (JV) partner Pilot LNG have obtained environmental permits for the first dedicated LNG bunkering facility in the U.S. Gulf Coast – the Galveston LNG Bunker Port (GLBP).
The project secured water quality certification from the Texas Railroad Commission and an air permit from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, stepping closer to a final investment decision (FID).
GLBP targets the remaining permits in the first quarter of 2025 and the beginning of the construction by the third quarter of 2025.
The first production of marine fuel is expected in 2027.
Launched in 2023, the proposed project includes natural gas liquids and refrigerant storage, feed gas pre-treatment facilities, a bunker vessel loading berth, and associated marine and loading facilities.
It will comprise two natural gas liquefaction trains with a total expected capacity of 600,000 gallons per day. Divided between two phases, each train should have a capacity of 300,000 gallons per day and be accompanied by a 3-million-gallon storage tank.
GBLP has already executed agreements for the gas supply and additional pipeline facilities required to support the facility’s operations, including securing a gas supply agreement with Energy Transfer’s Houston Pipeline Company for the long-term LNG supply to GLBP.
Once operational, the facility will provide LNG to the Galveston Bay Port complex, which includes the crucial ports of Houston, Galveston, Texas City, and the Galveston Offshore Lightering Areas.