The terminal, completed in July 1981, is the United States’ most modern LNG importation terminal. Three LNG storage tanks specially designed to store LNG at cryogenic temperatures for sustained periods with a combined capacity of approximately 2.7 million barrels (425,000 cubic meters) of LNG, or approximately 9.0 billion cubic feet (bcf) of gas. When operating at peak capacity, the terminal can regasify LNG and send out natural gas at a maximum rate of 2.1 bcf per day and has a firm sustained capability of 13.7 million metric tons per annum. US LNG imports totaled 350 Bcf in 2008, according to the Energy Information Agency, which predicted that they would increase to 420 Bcf in 2009