LNG environmental aspects:

LNG production has the potential to reduce or eliminate the need for the wasteful process
of flaring (burning off) of associated natural gas in oil fields and the resulting
environmental impacts. Import LNG can be vaporized to produce natural gas, which can
be used in the high efficiency combined cycle power plants to replace coal. Alternatively,
LNG can be used as a transportation fuel, replacing import oil, and is a cleaner fuel. In
effect, LNG production has recovered a low carbon fuel to displace the high carbon
oil and coal, and contribute significantly in reducing the environmental impacts. Despite
this positive outcome, LNG plant construction and plant operation may produce
pollutions and effluent, which can be an environmental concern if not properly addressed
in the project execution, plant design, and operation.
LNG plants have vapor emissions from different sources (i.e., process vents and driver
exhausts), liquid effluents from sumps and drains and cooling medium return, and solid
waste from spent molecular sieve and mercury removal catalyst. Other major
environmental contributions are construction impacts, emissions from sour gases, and
stack emissions from fired equipment. Each of these potential
contaminants might require different mitigation methods in different jurisdictions around
the globe.
A typical LNG liquefaction terminal exporting 4.5 million tonnes of LNG can be
expected to produce in the order of 1.2 million tonnes equivalent carbon dioxide of direct
emissions. About 10% of the fuel value in LNG is consumed in the production of LNG. If
fuel gas is used to regasify LNG using submerged combustion vaporizers, the greenhouse
gas emissions are increased by an equivalent of combusting about 1.5% of the import
LNG, or about 0.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
The designs of the LNG facilities are no different than other hydrocarbon processing
plants.
Emissions must comply with local and federal environmental regulations. Environmental
impact assessment must be completed; emissions must be estimated, starting from the
well head to the consumers. In the United States, the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission (FERC) and US Coast Guard must be involved in the permitting processes.
The environmental impact statement is part of the overall safety and security assessment.

1.6.1 Emission sources