Driftwood LNG Pipeline

This article is part of the Global Fossil Infrastructure Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.

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Driftwood LNG Pipeline is a proposed natural gas pipeline.

Location

The pipeline would run from Ville Platte, Louisiana, to Carlyss, Louisiana, United States.

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Project details

• Operator: Driftwood Pipeline LLC
• Owner: Driftwood Pipeline LLC
• Parent company: Woodside Energy
• Capacity: 3.5-4 billion cubic feet per day
• Length: 96 mi (main pipeline) and 3.4 miles (lateral pipeline)
  • Main pipeline: 74 miles of 48-inch-diameter pipeline, 10.6 miles of 42-inch-diameter pipeline, 11.3 miles of 36-inch-diameter pipeline
  • Lateral pipeline: 3.4 miles of 30-inch diameter pipeline (generally included in pipeline plans)
• Diameter: 48 in (74 mi), 42 in (11 mi), 36 in (11 mi), and 30 in (3.4 mi lateral pipeline)
• Status: Proposed
• Start year: 2029
  • Formerly 2026, 2027, or as late as 2028
  • Formerly Projected to initiate in 2024, with full service in 2026/2027
• Cost: 2.2 billion USD

Background

The proposed Driftwood LNG Pipeline would be operated by Driftwood Pipeline LLC (DWPL), a subsidiary of Tellurian Inc, to supply Tellurian's proposed Driftwood LNG Terminal export facility. In March 2017 DWPL submitted its FERC application and requested approval to begin construction in 2018, with a planned in-service date of 2022.

"DWPL proposes to build a new approximately 96-mile-long natural gas pipeline which will interconnect with up to 14 existing interstate pipelines to provide feedstock for the proposed Facility and pipeline compression power requirements. The Pipeline will extend westward from a proposed interconnect with the interstate pipeline system of CGT located approximately 4.5 miles south of Ville Platte, Louisiana, and then traverse four parishes (Evangeline, Acadia, Jefferson Davis and Calcasieu) for approximately 96 miles to the proposed Facility near the city of Carlyss, Louisiana. Once the Pipeline is placed in-service, it will provide the Facility with an annual average of approximately 4 Bcf/d of feed gas for liquefaction and export. Proposed interconnects with multiple interstate pipelines will enable the sourcing of feed gas from a variety of U.S. natural gas production areas, providing enhanced liquidity and ensuring reliability of supply for liquefaction and export. The Pipeline will be designed with a maximum allowable operating pressure of 1,440 pounds per square inch gauge, but generally will be operated at lower pressures." The main pipeline will be built along with a 3.4-mi lateral pipeline (see table below). The pipeline will be constructed in three phases, so that sufficient gas feed is provided for the liquefaction units.

*Lateral is collocated with the first segment of the main pipeline (Segment 1). Modified from

		Milepost
Segment/Diameter	Parish	Begin	End	Length (miles)
Segment 1/48-inch	Calcasieu, Jefferson Davis, Acadia	0	36.5	74
		36.5*	39.9*
		39.9	74
Segment 2/42-inch	Acadia, Evangeline	74	84.6	10.6
Segment 3/36-inch	Evangeline	84.6	95.9	11.3
Total main pipeline	Calcasieu, Jefferson Davis, Acadia, Evangeline	0	95.9	95.9
Lateral
30 inch*	Calcasieu and Jefferson Davis	36.5	39.9	3.4

In December 2017 it was reported that DWPL planned to begin operating the pipeline by 2021, though later estimates put commissioning in 2024.

Tellurian said it obtained "the most significant permits required for construction and operation" in 2019, when in April, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) gave the green light to build the pipeline At the time, Tellurian still had to receive a U.S. Army Corp of Engineers permit but that was expected soon, according to a Tellurian spokesperson.

Development of the pipeline hinges on the proposed Driftwood LNG Terminal, the future of which was hit by setbacks in 2020. During an investor presentation in June 2020, Tellurian's CEO Meg Gentle confirmed that the construction start for the Driftwood LNG terminal would be delayed until 2021. Gentle disclosed further that LNG production at the terminal would also be delayed until the end of 2024, with full operations expected by 2026 or 2027. The company's difficulties in securing partners for the project along with the downturn in LNG prices, which has been exacerbated by COVID-19, were cited as reasons.

In February 2024, Tellurian Inc., owner of the Driftwood LNG project at the time, secured more time to complete the Driftwood LNG terminal and pipeline system after filing a petition to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). In a filing dated February 15, 2024, FERC granted Driftwood LNG and the Driftwood pipeline an extension to complete construction until April 18, 2029.

Shortly after, in late July 2024, Woodside Energy acquired Tellurian Inc. for US$900 million "for ownership of the fully permitted Driftwood LNG plant under pre-final investment decision (FID)."

Expansion Projects

Line 200 and Line 300 Expansion

Location

The pipelines would run from Ragley, Louisiana, to Carlyss, Louisiana, United States.

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Project Details

• Operator: Driftwood Pipeline LLC
• Owner: Driftwood Pipeline LLC
• Parent company: Woodside Energy (previous: Tellurian Inc.)
• Capacity: 4,600 MMcf/d
  • Phase 1 (Line 200): 2,400 MMcf/d
  • Phase 2 (Line 300): 4,600 MMcf/d
• Length: 107.8 kilometers / 69.3 miles
  • Phase 1 (Line 200): 36.9 miles
  • Phase 2 (Line 300): 32.4 miles
• Diameter: 42 inches
  • Phase 1 (Line 200): 42 inches
  • Phase 2 (Line 300): 42 inches
• Status: Proposed
• Start year: 2024-2026
  • 2023 (according to Reuters, as reported in April 2023)
  • Originally: 2024 (Phase I), 2026 (Phase 2)
• Cost: US$1.4 billion

Background

On March 29, 2021, Driftwood Pipeline LLC announced plans to extend the original Driftwood LNG Pipeline in two stages, referred to as the Line 200 Expansion and Line 300 Expansion.

The lines are estimated to cost US$1.4 billion in total and will be built in three phases phases (with Lines 200 and 300 corresponding to Phases 1 and 2, respectively). Driftwood Pipeline LLC initially estimated construction could begin as early as 2022, and operation as early as 2023.

The expansions will occur near Ragley in Beauregard Parish, Louisiana, USA, and end near Carlyss in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, USA. The project will also include two lateral pipelines, a pipeline that connects to a receiver facility, a new compressor station, a new receiver facility, 11 new meter stations, 6 mainline valves, and additional ancillary facilities.

In April 2023, Tellurian announced it had received authorization from FERC to complete the project. Tellurian stated the project would be operational by 2023 to supply growing fossil gas demand in southwest Louisiana.

On August 18, 2023, Sierra Club and Healthy Gulf "filed a federal lawsuit challenging a decision by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to authorize construction and operation of over 30 miles of pipelines intended to almost solely supply gas to Tellurian's proposed Driftwood LNG export facility in Southwest Louisiana. If constructed as proposed, the Driftwood methane gas facility would be one of the largest polluters in the Gulf region." The lawsuit directly mentions FERC-approved Lines 200 and 300, which, according to the lawsuit, "would emit 314,700 tons per year of carbon dioxide equivalent." The opposers also claimed that "construction of the pipelines would also harm or destroy almost 160 acres of wetlands."

In April 2024, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit reviewed the case of Healthy Gulf et al. v the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, where the petitioners (Healthy Gulf et al.) were opposing Driftwood's Lines 200 and 300. Among other considerations, the document highlights that FERC "reasonably found need for the project," despite the petitioners' reasons for opposing the development, and that the court denies the protesters' petition for review. Based on the Commission's review of the project, it was still considered to be proposed as of April 10, 2024.

Driftwood Pipeline LLC's website presents this expansion in two phases, and this is how the project is entered in Global Energy Monitor's database. However, the EIA discusses it in three phases (see points below, copied from its July 2021 data sheet on pipelines and valid as of October 2022):

• Phase 1 interconnects with the TETCO pipeline in Beauregard Parish and stretches to MP (milepost) 37 in Calcasieu Parish. Includes one compressor station and eleven meter stations.
• Phase 2 features additional compression at the compressor station at MP 6.
• Phase 3 includes 31 miles of looping pipe from MP 6 to MP 37.
• Total project cost (all three phases) is $1.28 billion and 4.6 billion cubic feet per day of capacity.