LNG, short for liquefied natural gas, is the liquid form of natural gas, a clear, colorless, non-toxic, liquid composed mainly of methane with very small quantities of ethane, propane and heavier hydrocarbons. Taken out of the ground as natural gas, it is turned into a liquid by being chilled to -162 degrees Celsius and can be kept at normal atmospheric pressures in specially designed tanks that work on principles similar to a thermos container.

The cooling process, called liquefaction, reduces the volume that one cubic foot of natural gas occupies at atmospheric pressure and temperature to one six-hundredth of its original volume. This greatly reduced volume makes the natural gas easier and safer to store and transport. At regassification terminals such as Canaport LNG, the LNG is warmed until it returns to a gaseous state. This natural gas is then transported through a pipeline, usually underground and not visible -- as will be the case with the Brunswick Pipeline -- to a distributor who directs it via piping into households and businesses for everyday uses.

LNG 101 This two page document answers the basic questions about LNG such as "Where does LNG come from?" and "How is it stored?"   LNG 101 PDF (304kb PDF)