Safety & Security FAQ

• What is Broadwater Energy's Commitment to Security and Safety?

  Safety, security, and reliability are top priorities for Broadwater. Our goal is to bring an important new source of energy to the region while minimizing risk to the public.

• What is the safety and security record of maritime LNG operations?

  The marine transport of LNG has a strong safety and security record of approximately 80,000 carrier voyages over 40 years, covering over 100 million miles without major accidents or security problems. LNG facilities have also experienced decades of safe operations. The few accidents at U.S. LNG plants have been attributed either to inadequate design or incompatible material selection, or to circumstances not involving LNG.

• How is Broadwater developing its security strategy?

  To assist Broadwater in developing a robust security strategy, the project retained Giuliani Partners LLC in September 2004. Giuliani Partners was engaged to provide objective analysis and consulting regarding security for the proposed Broadwater facility. The Giuliani Partners team also includes SeaSecure LLC, a maritime security consultancy, which has performed over 150 security assessments of ports, vessels, offshore platforms, and other maritime operations.

• What are the characteristics of LNG, as relates to security and safety?

  LNG, as with all other hydrocarbon substances, is hazardous if mishandled. However the ability to safely handle LNG has been proven over the last 40 years of commercial activities. It is a colorless, odorless, and non-toxic liquid. If LNG is spilled on water, it floats on top of the water and vaporizes quickly and cleanly - there is no slick as there would be with oil. Natural gas is flammable, but does not explode if ignited in the open.

• What is an LNG pool fire?

  Prevention of LNG spillage is a primary consideration in the design of the facility, LNG carriers and the associated cargo transfer system. If LNG is spilled on water, it will form a pool of LNG, which floats and will quickly vaporize into gas. If the resulting gas is ignited by a spark or fire, a "pool fire" can occur. In this case, the fire consumes the gas as it vaporizes, not the liquid on the surface of the water. The pool fire leaves no residue and burns out quickly, especially compared to other fossil fuels. Pool fires can generate radiant heat that can carry some distance away from the actual fire. Broadwater has carefully modeled the consequences of a release of LNG from the proposed facility and the potential resulting pool fire and its associated radiant heat. Our emergency procedures will be designed to mitigate this type of scenario, however unlikely it may be.

• What is an LNG vapor cloud?

  Without an ignition source, gas evaporating from a pool of LNG on the water will form a vapor cloud. These clouds can drift away from the source under the influence of the wind. However, a cloud would not reach the shore from the Broadwater location because the cloud would continuously dissipate as the natural gas is diluted with the surrounding air, but portions of the cloud could burn if ignited by a spark or flame. Broadwater has carefully modeled the consequences of a release of LNG from the proposed facility and the potential resulting vapor cloud. Our emergency procedures will be designed to mitigate this type of scenario, however unlikely it may be.

• Is there any impact to the public of an LNG spill from the facility?

  Locating the proposed Broadwater facility offshore, 9 miles from Long Island and 10 miles from Connecticut, provides the public with a significant safety buffer. Together with procedures developed with the U.S. Coast Guard and other emergency response resources, the facility's location has been selected to ensure the safety of Long Island Sound communities. Our site-specific scientific models indicate that an LNG release from the proposed facility would not impact the shoreline on either side of the Sound. The U.S. Coast Guard’s Waterways Suitability Report confirms this.

  This conclusion is also supported by an objective U.S. Department of Energy-sponsored study performed by Sandia National Laboratories. The Sandia Report found that risks from accidental LNG spills are "small and manageable" and that "risks from intentional events, such as terrorist attacks, can be significantly reduced with appropriate security, planning, prevention and mitigation."

• What would be Broadwater's impact on national energy security?

  Broadwater is important to national energy security, because it represents a step toward the geographic diversification of America's energy infrastructure. Being situated at the end of a long pipeline distribution system, the New York and Connecticut region is dependent on those pipelines and the extensive oil and gas infrastructure in the Gulf of Mexico. Disruption of these systems, as occurred during the 2005 hurricanes in the Gulf, negatively impacts our regional energy security and prices.

• What would be the role of local, state, and Federal law enforcement and first responders?

  Broadwater is committed to working closely with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. It is a central goal of the project to maintain a productive relationship with all the relevant regulatory agencies, law enforcement agencies, and first responders at each jurisdictional level. Being an offshore facility, Broadwater will provide the resources necessary for emergency response and will cooperate with local and state emergency services on emergency coordination and keep these organizations informed on the project.

  Under current laws, the U.S. Coast Guard, as an agency of the Department of Homeland Security, will have the primary responsibility for ensuring that Broadwater provides adequate security for the FSRU and associated operations. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has overall primary responsibility for the permitting of the facility.

• What are the security, safety, and traffic implications of the facility's associated LNG carriers?

  When the Broadwater facility becomes operational, there will be an average of 2 to 3 tankers per week delivering LNG to the facility. Broadwater is committed to working with the U.S. Coast Guard, local pilots, and other commercial operators to ensure that these LNG carriers have minimal effect on safety, security, and traffic patterns in Long Island Sound. The facility itself lies outside the major traffic lanes. The U.S. Coast Guard has primary responsibility for the management of traffic through the Sound. The U.S. Coast Guard states in the Waterways Suitability Report that "The impacts of the moving safety and security zone around LNG carriers on other waterway users could be managed." (Waterways Suitability Report, page 161)

  Prior to entering the Long Island Sound, the incoming LNG carrier will be boarded by a LIS licensed ship pilot. The LNG carrier will enter the Sound via "The Race" — a transit that should take approximately 15 minutes — and follow a direct route to the facility. Incoming LNG carriers, all of which must be certified according to international standards, are routinely inspected by the U.S. Coast Guard and are required to hold a valid, U.S. Coast Guard Certificate of Compliance before operating in U.S. waters.

• How will the safety and security zone around the facility and LNG carriers be enforced?

  The U.S. Coast Guard is responsible for enforcing the 1,210-yard safety and security zone around the FSRU, as well as the moving safety and security zones around associated LNG carriers. Broadwater will comply with the Coast Guard's requirements to facilitate this process, including the marking of the zone with buoys.

• What will the safety and security operating standards for the facility include?

  Broadwater will have very strong safety and security operating standards and protocols covering all operations, and trained personnel will ensure that these procedures are followed. Extensive work is being done to develop the appropriate security and safety systems and procedures.

• How will engineering and technology help maximize the security of the facility?

  Although Broadwater may be among the first FSRUs in operation, each of the technologies and components involved are tried, tested, and reliable. Floating offshore facilities similar to the FSRU have been employed for more than 25 years. The facility is being engineered specifically to survive conditions worse than historical storms or hurricanes that have occurred in this region.

  The FSRU will incorporate many of the same safety features as an LNG carrier, particularly with regard to the double hull and containment system. The FSRU design will incorporate highly developed, robust security and safety systems, including intruder detection, hazard detection, fire suppression, emergency shutdown, and leak detection and mitigation measures. The mooring system for the Broadwater FSRU is being designed specifically to survive the worst credible weather conditions expected in Long Island Sound, which are hurricanes. The weather conditions in this part of the northeastern U.S. are relatively benign compared to other locations where floating production and storage facilities operate or where LNG carriers transit on a regular basis.

• Would the Broadwater facility be a terrorist target?

  The Broadwater FSRU would not be an attractive terrorist target, based on experts' current analysis of terrorist targeting priorities. Terrorist organizations seek to attack targets in major population centers, causing highly visible damage and disruption and large numbers of casualties. The Broadwater FSRU, located far offshore with a small crew, does not fit this profile. The U.S. Coast Guard states in the Waterways Suitability Report that: "There are currently no known, credible threats against the proposed Broadwater Energy facility." (Waterways Suitability Report page 160) As recommended by the U.S. Coast Guard, Broadwater will continuously monitor the threat environment and regularly update threat assessment.

  Despite the fact that we do not believe the FSRU is an attractive terrorist target and we believe an attack is highly unlikely; Broadwater is diligently planning to ensure that the facility is protected and that the consequences of an attack would be mitigated. It is important to note that even a successful attack on the facility, however unlikely, would not result in damage to the communities on either shore of the Sound, based on our modeling results.