Norwegian LNG Could Satisfy 10% Of US East Coast Natural Gas Demand
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 10. 9.07
Norway, long a nation friendly to the US, is about to become a major source of natural gas for North America. The concerns of Peak Oil and of unfriendly suppliers will be tempered for the US Northeast - just in time for Christmas.
Within weeks, gas will start crossing the ocean in specially designed ships, feeding into the pipeline network for the American East Coast. Before Christmas, furnaces in Brooklyn and stoves in Washington will be burning the gas. It will be the first commercial energy production from waters north of the Arctic Circle.
A warm Christmas hearth will, as in previous years, provide comfort to energy-hungry Americans; yet, there is something quite frightening about the unseen nature of growing energy demand, an out-of-sight condition symbolized by the addition of LNG ports to receive ships like this one (pictured).
Despite worldwide concern over global warming and the role of fossil fuels in causing it, United States government specialists project that global oil and gas demand will increase by some 50 percent in the next 25 years.
How many people will think about the Norwegian Gas Santa when they buy their "ventless gas fireplace" for the holiday? (Hint to the LNG shippers: paint some little white tufts atop those red LNG spheres.)
Via::New York Times, "A Quest for Energy in the Globe’s Remote Places" Image credit:: NYT
