Briefing: Jordan Cove LNG and Pacific Connector Pipeline Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Oil Change International
The proposed Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline and Jordan Cove Energy Project would transport and process into liquefied natural gas (LNG) around 430 billion cubic feet of fossil gas annually. The greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions triggered by the project will be significant, but to date the scope of these emissions has not been well understood.
This paper provides an estimate of the full lifecycle emissions of the project, calculating a reference and high case estimate using the best available information. It finds that the project would add significantly to greenhouse gas emissions both globally and within the state of Oregon. Annual emissions in the Reference Case are 36.8 million metric tons. This is equivalent to over 15 times the 2016 emissions from Oregon’s only remaining coal plant, the Boardman coal plant, which is scheduled to close in 2020 because of climate and air pollution concerns. Emissions in the high case are 52 million metric tons annually.
The emissions estimate includes an estimated range of methane leakage along the supply chain and finds that even a conservative estimate of methane leakage undermines claims that the gas supplied to global markets via the project would lead to a net reduction in GHG emissions. The paper also finds that there is no evidence to support an assumption that gas supplied by the project would replace coal in global markets.
In order to address the global climate crisis, emissions from all sources of fossil fuel must be reduced to zero by mid-century. Building and operating this project will undermine that goal. This paper provides the clear climate rationale against the project going ahead.
See also these other briefings on greenhouse gas emissions: