HOUSTON—Enbridge Inc. will consider re-filing its application for federal permits to build a crude export terminal off Freeport, Texas, if market demand picks up, a company spokesman said on Jan. 3.
The Canadian pipeline operator recently withdrew its proposal for a facility capable of handling supertankers, U.S. maritime officials said this week, taking the project out of the current race to export U.S. shale.
Enbridge last month said it would jointly develop a deepwater facility with Enterprise Products Partners LP, whose project had already been advanced by long-term agreements with oil major Chevron Corp.
“Enbridge will consider re-filing the application in the future should market demand for additional export capacity grow in the future,” spokesman Devin Hotzel said in an email. The company had said it would position its Texas COLT project, or a similar proposal, to move forward if demand supported it. The Texas COLT project is jointly owned by Oiltanking Partners.
Enterprise’s Sea Port Oil Terminal (SPOT) project is planned for a location near Enbridge’s. The U.S. Coast Guard and Maritime Administration on Dec. 30 said the licensing process had come to an end. It was one of five that had filed for federal permits.
Rivals racing to develop similar projects include U.S. refiner Phillips 66, commodities trader Trafigura AG and privately held Sentinel Midstream LLC.
Carlyle Group said in October that it had dropped out of a $1 billion crude export terminal near Corpus Christi, Texas, marking the beginning of a shakeout among the terminal proposals vying to export U.S. crude.
Recommended Reading
E&P Highlights: Sep. 2, 2024
2024-09-03 - Here's a roundup of the latest E&P headlines, with Valeura increasing production at their Nong Yao C development and Oceaneering securing several contracts in the U.K. North Sea.
Breakthroughs in the Energy Industry’s Contact Sport, Geophysics
2024-09-05 - At the 2024 IMAGE Conference, Shell’s Bill Langin showcased how industry advances in seismic technology has unlocked key areas in the Gulf of Mexico.
Interoil to Boost Production in Ecopetrol Fields
2024-09-03 - Interoil will reopen shut-in wells at three onshore fields, which are under contract by Ecopetrol.
Chevron Boosts Oil, NatGas Recovery in Gulf of Mexico
2024-09-03 - Chevron’s Jack/St. Malo and Tahiti facilities have produced 400 MMboe and 500 MMboe, respectively.
CNOOC Makes Ultra-deepwater Discovery in the Pearl River Mouth Basin
2024-09-11 - CNOOC drilled a natural gas well in the ultra-deepwater area of the Liwan 4-1 structure in the Pearl River Mouth Basin. The well marks the first major breakthrough in China’s ultra-deepwater carbonate exploration.