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.

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