LPG Mega Tank Facts
- 22.7 million gallon cryogenic (-44°F) LPG storage tank – largest on East Coast.
- 14 stories tall (138’ x 202’) considerably taller than existing tanks that have been grandfathered at Mack Point
- Tank will sit about 120 yards from Route 1 – dominating the landscape.
- Glaringly illuminated all night, year round.
- 75’ tower will flare gas up to 500 hrs/year.
- Massive refrigeration system – 5 electric condensers and air fin cooler in series – has no backup power source when the grid goes down.
- During grid outages, LPG will flare and/or vent to the atmosphere.
- Noise levels will likely exceed state standards during routine operations, and will certainly exceed standards during process upsets.
- Operational 24/7 and 365 days/year
This chart gives meaning to the size of the mega-tank (please click on it for greater detail):
LPG Tanker Trucks Danger to Route 1
- DCP will load 40 to 144 heavy-duty LPG tanker trucks daily. That’s up to 288 truck trips per day – or one truck every 5-15 minutes.
- Route 1 & Route 3 will become primary corridor for LPG truck shipments throughout Maine, New Hampshire and Canadian Maritime Provinces.
- LPG truck accident could block Route 1 for hours and force evacuation of homes and businesses for up to one mile.
- An LPG Tanker truck collision on Route 1 could result in a fireball explosion capable of incinerating everything within many hundreds of feet.
- Mack Point Unsafe for LPG Terminal:
- The National Fire Marshall’s Association has determined that LPG is even more dangerous than LNG.
- Unfortunately, federal LNG siting rules requiring minimum separation distances between the terminal and private property do not apply to LPG.
- Mack Point is too small to safely build a massive LPG terminal:
- Route 1, Angler’s Restaurant & Motel, and many private homes and businesses are a few hundred feet away, well within the blast zone.
- LPG pipeline would bisect the Irving & Sprague oil tank farms, doubling the threat of and consequences of an accident.
- GAC Chemical is less than a mile away; LPG accident could also trigger release of deadly chemical poison cloud.
LPG Shipping Hazards in Penobscot Bay
- LPG Tanker ships are 700’ to 800’ – larger than any existing ships in Penobscot Bay.
- LPG tankers will require “exclusion zones” interrupting ferry service, fishing, and boating.
- Penobscot Bay has no fire-tugs capable of responding to a LPG tanker fire.
- US Coast Guard has designated “zones of concern” in which everything within a radius of 550 yards to 2.2 miles of a ship accident is at risk of burning or exploding.
- The Penobscot Bay Towns Do Not Have Adequate Safety Equipment or Training
- Major LPG import terminals usually are served by large city fire departments with specialized equipment and regular hazardous material training.
- Searsport has a volunteer fire department with minimal equipment and training for dealing with LPG accidents or emergencies.
- Searsport is relying on mutual aid from Belfast, Stockton Springs and other towns to help in an emergency – but never asked permission to commit the limited public safety resources of neighboring towns. This is wrong: Searsport should not put untrained and under-equipped emergency responders at risk.
DCP Midstream Omits Safety Study
- The Army Corps and Maine DEP issued permits without requiring DCP to first disclose a project Risk Assessment or Emergency Management Plan.
- The LPG Terminal would put thousands of people and small businesses in Searsport, Stockton Springs, Belfast, Islesboro and beyond at extreme risk.
- LPG accidents are rare but when they occur they are catastrophic:
- In 1977, a 12 million gallon cryogenic LPG tank in Qatar ruptured, resulting in an 8 day fired that killed six plant workers and caused $179 million in property damage.
- In 1984, a pipeline leak in a LPG terminal in Mexico City resulted in one of the deadliest industrial disasters in history, burning down entire neighborhoods and killing and maiming thousands.
- LPG rail car and truck explosions have resulted in 300’ high explosions that rain down burning LPG and shrapnel on surrounding areas.
Here is SEA-3, a smaller sized (20M+ gallon) LPG tank in Tampa, Florida. The teardrop “A” in the photo is a 10,000# tanker truck for comparison. Click on either for a closer look.
Below is a map of the projected view shed:
