Port Manatee has signed a $31 million deal with a company that is attempting to build a natural gas port 28 miles off the coast of Manatee County and pump the liquefied material through a line to the local port.
Port Dolphin Energy LLC still needs a deep-water port license from the U.S. Maritime Administration.
Construction of the project would be started in 2012 and finished in 2013.
It is the second natural gas project for Port Manatee, and is expected to have a 20-year economic impact of $150 million.
During the first five years of the latest agreement, Port Manatee will receive more than $16 million in cash and assets, followed by $15 million during the remainder of the agreement.
Liquid natural gas tankers would arrive at Port Dolphin's offshore operation and be piped under water to Port Manatee.
The company is going to provide the Manatee County and Longboat Key with $1 million to survey the route for beach-quality sand and obtain permits to extract it. It will then pay $10 million toward beach renourishment projects.
