Rhode Island Gives LNG Plant Another 5 Years, Won’t Make Permanent

In 2019, the Rhode Island Energy Facility Siting Board waived a licensing requirement for a “temporary” LNG storage facility in Portsmouth to prevent another gas outage episode from happening again (see With “Backs Against Wall” Rhode Island Approves LNG Facility). Board members complained they had no choice, that “we have our backs against the wall” and “people’s lives could be in danger” if they didn’t approve the LNG facility. The “temporary” facility has remained operating since that time. Earlier this year, Rhode Island Energy submitted a proposal to make the facility permanent instead of an ongoing temporary installation. State regulators ruled this week. They refused to make the LNG facility permanent. Instead, they opted to grant the facility a five-year license.

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