Cheniere to fix Louisiana LNG plant equipment after failing pollution test

Cheniere Energy Inc, the largest US LNG exporter, said it would repair and replace equipment at its Louisiana terminal after testing revealed it violated newly imposed hazardous emissions limits for several known carcinogens, although the work will have no meaningful impact on operations.

The company asked the Obama administration for an exemption from the new rules but was denied. Cheniere says the measures will have no material impact on operations. Cheniere told Louisiana regulators that its initial testing showed one of eight generator turbines at its Sabine Pass LNG facility had failed to meet the newly imposed requirement. The company conducted initial testing on 44 stationary turbines at the facility, according to the email. EPA says it will work with Cheniere to ensure they meet Clean Air Act obligations.

A round of testing showed at least one of Cheniere’s turbines at its liquefied natural gas export terminal in Louisiana failed the new standards. Cheniere’s Corpus Christi facility in Texas submitted testing documents to the state last week that showed emissions from all of its 18 refrigeration turbines were well below the EPA’s threshold. The EPA announced in February that the National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Pollutants rule will apply to two types of gas-fired turbines.