A risk analysis of an LNG terminal

The problem of evaluating the public risk associated with construction and operation of the proposed La Salle Terminal facility to import LNG and distribute to consumers is studied in detail. As spillage and ignition of LNG may cause severe public fatalities, it becomes necessary to determine the feasibility of such a project. The risk analysis shows that the risk levels to the public are less than those published in the literature as acceptable to society. The El Paso LNG Company and its subsidiaries plan to build and operate a marine terminal and LNG vaporization facility named La Salle Terminal, in Matagorda Bay, Texas. The La Salle Terminal will receive about 143 liquified natural gas (LNG) carriers per year from Algeria. From the carriers, LNG will be transferred to LNG storage tanks and from there it will be revaporized and distributed via high pressure intra-state pipelines. The paper aims at estimation and evaluation of the risk to the public from the operation of such a facility and to determine the feasibility of the project site. For this purpose, the model was divided into three components: 1. Development of accident scenarios and their associated probabilities; 2. Quantification of public risk; 3. Evaluation of public risk.