Gas pipeline faces yet another hindrance

MOROVIS - The government of Luis Fortuño only has 34 months and a half to develop a generatrix system that complies with the new federal environmental standards, but said timeframe only seems like yet another hurdle for the gas pipeline project to overcome.  

Said was the timeframe the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established for the carbon and crude plants to be in compliance with the new standards, better known as Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT).

Though Fortuño has been hesitant regarding his official position on the future of the gas pipeline, the truth is that the controversial 92-mile-long pipeline would need at least 60 months to be operational at full capacity.

José Ortiz, president of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) Government Board and architect of the recommendations for alternatives to the gas pipeline, admitted Tuesday that the new EPA standards  -- which implement parameters to minimize pollution -- would have an impact on the future decision regarding the project.

“One year ago (when they announced the gas pipeline) we didn’t have this hindrance imposed by the EPA. We are now forced to have the gasification carried out at the plants by a particular date. That changes the rules of the game. It’s an element that we didn’t have to consider before,” Ortiz said.

In fact, reliable sources of USA Today Puerto Rico Edition assured that two nights ago Fortuño decided to cancel the gas pipeline project. After having confirmed to have doubts on the effectiveness of the project on Monday night, the governor and Ortiz convened until late in the evening.

So far, the government is waiting for the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to make a determination on the gas pipeline permit request -- which has no deadline. If the USACE grants the permit, the installation of the pipeline would take 18 months under normal conditions to complete, that is, without ecological or archaeological incidents, or any setbacks, that delay the works even more.

And even if the gas pipeline were completed in 18 months, it would only operate at 30 percent capacity, the PREPA has admitted. That is, because its co-generatrix EcoEléctrica, the only point where liquefied natural gas enters the island, doesn’t have enough storage and re-gasification capacity to feed all the central power plants -- Cambalache, Palo Seco and San Juan -- connected to the project simultaneously.

EcoEléctrica board of directors has also admitted that supplying the three central power plants at the same time would require a second natural gas storage tank. The permit granting process, construction works and final operation including the second tank would take, at least, five years to complete.