SpaceX is seeking approval to build a 32.4-mile natural gas pipeline in Florida that would connect directly to the interstate gas network and supply the company’s expanding launch operations at Cape Canaveral.
The proposed 16-inch pipeline would run through Brevard County and connect SpaceX operations directly to the Florida Gas Transmission system, giving the company a dedicated source of natural gas as its launch activity increases.
SpaceX subsidiary Coastal Connect Services filed for approval of a tariff with the Florida Public Service Commission. SpaceX would contract for all of the pipeline’s proposed capacity, according to regulatory filings.
SpaceX currently depends heavily on LNG delivered by truck for its Florida launch operations. The company told regulators that its operations can require hundreds of truckloads of LNG for a single launch, while existing local pipeline infrastructure cannot provide the volumes it expects to need as launch activity increases.
The Florida project is part of a wider push by SpaceX to secure more direct control over the natural gas supply needed for its launch sites. In June, the company proposed an eight-mile natural gas pipeline at its Starbase facility near Boca Chica, Texas.
SpaceX is also moving into gas procurement. The company has begun hiring natural gas traders to manage fuel purchases for its launch sites in Florida and Texas, adding another piece of the energy supply chain to operations it controls internally.
The Florida proposal would connect directly with Florida Gas Transmission, an interstate pipeline system serving the state. Public Service Commission staff recommended approval of Coastal Connect’s proposed tariff ahead of the commission’s October 6 meeting.
The pipeline would reduce the number of LNG trucks needed to supply SpaceX operations in Florida and provide considerably more capacity as the company increases the pace of launches. The commission has not yet issued a final order on the tariff in the regulatory records reviewed for this story.
By Michael Kern for Oilprice.com
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