Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)

Louisiana is one of the top natural gas-producing states in the country. Natural gas is a cleaner-burning, abundant and affordable source of energy which is distributed worldwide after it is liquefied. The three large tanks ahead are part of an LNG (liquefied natural gas) facility, one of several in Southwest Louisiana.  On land, natural gas is transported through pipelines. However, pipelines aren’t feasible to transport natural gas overseas. By liquefying natural gas, its volume is reduced by 600 times. To give you some perspective, that’s like taking 600 one-gallon jugs of natural gas and liquefying it so that you’re left with just a single one-gallon jug of liquefied natural gas.  To achieve a liquid state, natural gas is first extracted and transported to a processing plant where it is purified by removing any water, oil, mud, as well as other gases like carbon dioxide and solids such as mercury. Then the gas is cooled down in stages to the astoundingly cold temperature of – 260 Fahrenheit at which time it becomes a liquid. LNG can then be stored in tanks or transported in specially designed carriers designed to keep the LNG in liquid form for efficient overseas transport. You might glimpse one of these vessels in the waterway behind the tanks.