One of the most challenging problems in decisions concerning the deployment of novel, large-scale technologies is the assessment of the risk to the surrounding population. In particular cases, such as nuclear reactors or liquefied energy gas (LEG) facilities, the political process involved may tend to focus on one particular form of that risk, i.e., the risk to life from catastrophic accidents. This paper examines several different assessments of that type of risk with two main goals in mind:

    (i)

    To present and compare the various procedures of risk assessment as applied to liquefied energy gas (LEG) terminal siting, and in doing so to clarify the limits of knowledge and understanding of LEG risks
     
    (ii)

    To quantify and compare the risks at four LEG terminal sites: Eemshaven (Netherlands), Mossmorran (UK), Point Conception (USA), and Wilhelmshaven (West Germany)