Holy Mackerel — Quite A Story — Massachusetts — LNG — November 6, 2023

Locator: 45968LNG.    

 

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• The future of Massachusetts’ Everett LNG import terminal is in limbo.
• the Mystic Generation Station, the power plant that takes the bulk of Everett's gas, will shut down in May 2024 — six months from now.
• the LNG terminal owner is looking to find a replacement buyer for the gas.

From earlier this year:

When the clock strikes midnight just over a year from now, it will be lights out for the state’s largest power plant, the Mystic Generating Station in Everett. 

It might not be the only major piece of New England’s energy infrastructure to go. 

Mystic’s demise means the Everett LNG terminal next door faces a precarious future. Both are owned by the same company, Constellation Energy. 

Mystic is also the liquefied natural gas terminal’s biggest customer by far. And both are currently running thanks to an electric ratepayer subsidy that ends on May 31, 2024. 

Everett is now the longest-operating LNG import terminal in the country. 

Elsewhere, US ports have been exporting liquefied natural gas, not bringing it in. 

Everett was the only one to receive LNG shipments during the past winter as global demand — driven in part by Europe weaning itself off Russian gas — drew shippers to more lucrative markets. 

Everett’s shipments could soon end, too, if Constellation determines it’s not commercially viable. The 52-year-old terminal has been considered a linchpin for the region’s gas distribution system, particularly on chilly days when the two main pipelines into New England get maxed out. 

Not only does Everett keep Mystic’s electric turbines going, it’s also a backup for the Algonquin and Tennessee pipelines and provides much of the LNG that utilities store at various tanks around the region.

The road to New England. 

More from the linked article:

The terminal’s fate could become the latest flashpoint in New England’s ongoing debate about shifting away from fossil fuels. Move too slowly, and we fall short of our aggressive goals to reduce carbon emissions. Move too quickly, and we risk ending up in the dark or feeling the chill. 

Consider that natural gas heats roughly half of the homes in Massachusetts. Sure, policymakers would like electric heat pumps to replace our gas-fired furnaces. But those ultimately rely on gas, too: For now, at least, about half of our region’s electricity comes from natural gas-fired plants like Mystic.

Is “bailout” one or two words?