Magnolia LNG officials will host an open house Thursday to provide information to stakeholders and residents about its proposed liquefied natural gas project in Lake Charles.

The Australia-based company plans to construct, own and operate a midscale liquefied natural gas export facility. The open house, required by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, will be 5-7 p.m. Thursday in the banquet room at Pujo Street Cafe, 901 Ryan St.

“It’s a matter of engaging with the community,” Ernie Megginson, vice president of project management, told the American Press Tuesday. “We anticipate this being a community meeting rather than external environmental groups who may oppose export of LNG just because they do.”

He hopes to educate the public on their Optimized Single Mixed Refrigerant (OSMR) technology, which is the company’s patented liquefaction process that has 30 percent less emissions.

Magnolia LNG will be located on 108 acres of industrial land through a lease agreement with the Port of Lake Charles. The project site will be accessible by road, near the intersection of Henry Pugh Boulevard and Big Lake Road.

“After the screening study was completed Lake Charles was certainly bubbling to the surface as a top shelf location,” Lincoln Clark, engineering manager, said Tuesday.

The company will be located on an existing LNG shipping channel. And at full capacity, the plant will consist of four LNG trains. Megginson also said the company is currently in confidential negotiations with two major commodity traders.

Magnolia LNG has received approval to enter pre-filing with FERC, which is the first stage of their 2-year permitting process. The pre-file request was approved in March within eight days of submission. This is “significant” because it’s “one of the shortest lengths of time for FERC to approve a project to enter into the pre-file process,” Megginson said.

Officials anticipate the project will create 1,000 construction jobs, 45 permanent jobs and 175 indirect jobs. The company aims to complete construction in 2015 with operation starting up in late 2017.

Online: www.magnolialng.com.

Magnolia LNG officials will host an open house Thursday to provide information to stakeholders and residents about its proposed liquefied natural gas project in Lake Charles. (American Press Archives)