A recent letter to the editor concerning Crystal Energy’s proposed Clearwater Port natural gas terminal ignores several critical facts about California’s natural gas shortage and Crystal’s proposed solution. The author implies Clearwater Port will be owned and operated by Venoco. This is not true.
Crystal intends to exercise its option to purchase Platform Grace from Venoco. Crystal’s plans call for the platform to be dedicated as a regasification facility only, meaning there will be no concurrent oil and gas production by Venoco, or any other use. Venoco does not have an ownership position in the project. Structurally, Crystal is working with the U.S. Minerals Management Service to have the platform recertified “as new,” ensuring it will meet or exceed all technical, safety, environmental and seismic standards.
The facility will be operated by Woodside Energy, a $10 billion company with extensive offshore operating experience and a superb safety record as the operator of one of the world’s largest natural resource projects, Australia’s North West Shelf Venture. With Woodside as operator, Clearwater Port is the only proposed West Coast liquefied natural gas project that has an operator with a proven operating and safety record.
Woodside’s North West Shelf Venture liquefied natural gas facility is the most reliable in the world, and one of the most efficient. Woodside has developed a global reputation for reliable, safe, and efficient delivery of liquefied natural gas with the successful delivery of more than 1,700 cargoes from the facility to customers around the world over the past 15 years.
A new source of natural gas is desperately needed to keep both natural gas and electricity costs for California businesses and consumers under control. Clearwater Port presents a unique opportunity to bring a stable supply of natural gas to California through a remote offshore location that minimizes the need for new offshore infrastructure.
Of course, Clearwater Port will only go forward if an exhaustive analysis of the facts by independent environmental and safety experts hired by local, state, and federal agencies including the U.S Coast Guard confirms the project is safe, secure and environmentally sound.
Lisa Palmer
Director of Communications, Crystal Energy