JORDAN COVE LNG PIPELINE
Rifle—A project that could pump billions of dollars into the economies of Colorado and across the northwest is still moving forward despite a rejection from the federal government. The Jordan Cove Liquid Natural Gas Pipeline aims to find new markets for a struggling industry. Bob Braddock, the Senior Project Adviser for the Lead company, Veresen Incorporated, explained the ins and outs of the pipeline to a sold out crowd at yesterday’s Energy and Environment Symposium in Rifle. Braddock says the LNG is the wave of the future. After being extracted at room temperature, it’s cooled to -236 degrees to liquify for storage in “large thermos bottles.” A pair of so-called “thermos bottles” are in Coos Bay, Oregon. From there, Braddock says the plan is to use cargo ships to send it to energy-thirst Pacific Rim nations like Japan. Braddock says ever since the devastating earthquake in 2011 that destroyed a nuclear power plant in Japan, the country has been eagerly looking for cleaner, safer forms of energy. Braddock says despite the initial rejection of the Jordan Cove LNG pipeline, Veresen is prepared to move forward with several measures including filing an appeal. The hope is to have the pipeline operational by early 2022.