An important issue to our community is the proposed purchase of property on the Barge Canal that would facilitate the construction of a Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) storage and processing facility. The facility would support Port Canaveral and the Space Center.  Local opposition to the proposal is based on the closeness of the facility to established residential neighborhoods, accidental combustion of stored LNG, foul-smelling odors, and release of toxic fumes that may emanate from operations. While local officials are voicing opposition, they are not the sole deciders. 

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LNG PROPOSED SITE ON LAGOON

 As you have already heard, there is an unsolicited proposal to buy Port-owned land to build a facility that will take natural gas from a pipeline going somewhere across Merritt Island to that land on the barge canal to convert it to Liquid Natural Gas. Looking at maps, it appears the facility would be about 350 feet from the nearest homes and around 3000 feet from Stevenson elementary school. At their community info session, the gas company told neighbors that they would be supplying cruise ships and rockets as well as supplying Miami and Ft Lauderdale ports.

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The SIGTTO states that "LNG Ports must be located where vapors from a spill or release cannot affect civilians." They must also be sited "where they do not conflict with other waterway uses now and into the future." And also "narrow inland waterways are to be avoided."

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Reports on the internet list a number of accidents (fires and explosions noted in the US and elsewhere) and a pollution report from 2025 that shows Gulf facilities have had many Clean Water Act violations with little to no consequence. 5 of those 7 facilities had violated their wastewater permits 69 times in 5 years. Local fisherman state that there's been a noticeable drop in fish and oysters and many incidents have never even been reported.

By Lisa Ruckman

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CANAVERAL LNG: THERMAL OXIDATION VS FLARING

After hearing ambiguous information about flaring from Canaveral LNG reps at their informational meeting, I reached out to two of their engineers for more detail. My main question was:

Exactly what happens to waste gases removed from the natural gas in the pre-treatment process?

   Water vapor & C02, since non-toxic, are released into the atmosphere. Heavy hydrocarbons, the gases usually flared at other LNG plants, are disposed of in several ways. Since these gases can be used as fuel, some can be put back into the natural gas supply, provided they don't change its characteristics beyond what the gas company is contracted to supply. Some can be used as fuel in the LNG plant's processes. If there is a buyer for these gases who can use them as fuel, they can be stored & sold.

  

Whatever part of the heavy hydrocarbons cannot be disposed of in any of these ways, is burned in a process called thermal oxidation- like flaring, but at ground level, out of sight, inside an open-topped concrete enclosure six feet high. The same toxic gases are emitted as in flaring: Carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds.

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   During 2025 the Jax NGO plant, similar in size and design to the proposed plant, burned about 200,000 cubic feet per day of heavy hydrocarbons. For comparison, the same toxic chemicals would be produced by a barbecue grill burning natural gas. But it would take thousands of barbecue grills, running 24/7, to equal that output.

By Bob Wise