Energy Hub

With each new project converging in Goldboro, the area is emerging as a new energy hub for North America. Industries looking for natural gas supply will have several options for potential sources of natural gas and natural gas liquid supply at this location including offshore Nova Scotia, imported liquid natural gas from global producers and compressed natural gas from stranded sources.

Companies looking to supply the lucrative North American market may bring their supply into the Goldboro area and connect with Maritimes and Northeast Pipeline export pipeline infrastructure.

Scotian Gas

Offshore Scotian Shelf

Offshore Nova Scotia is an emerging giant gas play of North America. The area is predicted to be one of the top three natural gas supply basins in North America over the next several years .  

The Scotian Shelf has long been known as a hydrocarbon-charged basin. In 1992, commercial production began from the Panuke and Cohasset oilfields. In December of 1999, the first major source of natural gas from offshore Canada to be commercially developed came from the SOEI Offshore Energy Project. Tier 1 of a two-tiered project brought three fields off SOEI Island on-stream. Current production levels are 420,000 mmcf/day. Tier II is in production ahead of schedule. 

Natural gas from the offshore is transported by subsea pipeline 200 km to the landfall site at Goldboro Industrial Park, Goldboro, Guysborough County, Nova Scotia (see Goldboro Industrial Park). Liquids and condensates such as ethane are extracted from the SOEI owned natural gas processing plant. Natural Gas, liquids and condensate are available to industrial park investors minus the transporation toll. SOEI natural gas connects from the plant into the purpose-built 653-mile onshore Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline (www.mnpp.com) that serves markets in Nova Scotia , New Brunswick and the northeast United States . Liquids and condensates from the plant are transported by a lateral pipeline to the SOEI fractionation plant at Pt. Tupper, Nova Scotia on the Strait of Canso ( see Melford )

Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)

Liquefied natural gas is another viable source of natural gas supply for the Goldboro area.

The demand for LNG in the United States is growing. Recent failures to site LNG facilities close to market in the U.S. has resulted in international LNG suppliers and regasification companies evaluating the opportunities in Nova Scotia. The availability of regasified LNG provides the additional benefits of ensuring the diversification of the energy supply and long term viability of the natural gas industry in Nova Scotia.

Maple LNG has obtained envrionmental approval for a LNG regasification facility and a LNG marine terminal, adjacent to the Sable Gas Plant.to supply their Petrochemical complex. LNG regasified at Goldboro may be used locally or shipped directly to the Eastern U.S. by the adjacent M&NP pipeline transmission system that provides access to Canadian and Northeast U.S. markets.

Slower than anticipated development of the offshore oil and gas industry in Nova Scotia has delayed the development of downstream value-added industries due to insufficient volumes of natural gas resources from the Scotia offshore. The proposed LNG facility at Goldboro will not only provide liquid gas for revapourization for pipeline feed but will also provide the critical mass of feedstock necessary for development of value-added projects such as the petrochemical and co-generation facilities proposed.

This project will provide over 220,000 mmcfd of natural gas and natural gas liquids as input to the proposed petrochemical plant and its supporting infrastructure.

This project also enhances the economics of offshore Nova Scotian projects because the greater the volumes of gas moving within the pipeline, the greater the downward pressure on the transportation toll price. Projects such as EnCana's Deep Panuke will benefit from lower transportation tolls. Commitments made to M&NP by current offshore producers will be able to be met or supported by LNG volumes.

The Goldboro area has undergone detailed analysis using LNG selection criteria both from an on land and marine perspective. It is an optimal location for LNG receiving terminal and regasification development.