Kinder Morgan is in early stages of another project to add capacity to its Tennessee Gas Pipeline, including work in Susquehanna and Bradford counties.
The project, dubbed the Northeast Energy Direct Project, would deliver more gas from the Tennessee line to customers in New England, according to a request the Houston-based company submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Sept. 15.
After an open season bidding period in February and March, the Berkshire Gas Co., Columbia Gas of Massachusetts, Connecticut Natural Gas Corp., Liberty Utilities Corp., National Grid, Southern Connecticut Gas Corp. and three other unidentified gas utilities signed up, though Kinder Morgan is still seeking agreements with gas production companies to ship their product.
Its early plan includes 135 miles of brand-new, 30-inch-diameter pipeline not to run along an existing right of way, according to a map the company submitted to FERC. It would start at the existing pipeline in southwestern Susquehanna County, run diagonally northeast across most of the county and cross into New York. From there, it would cut through Broome, Delaware, Ostego and Schoharie counties and meet the northern branch of the Tennessee line.
This portion of the project roughly follows same the route proposed for Constitution Pipeline, a joint venture among Williams, Cabot Oil & Gas Corp., Piedmont Natural Gas and WGL Holdings. Constitution has not received FERC approval.
Kinder Morgan also plans to run about 23 miles of 36-inch loop line parallel to its existing Tennessee line starting at compressor station 317 in Bradford County. It would also run 9 miles of 36-inch loop from its station 319 in Bradford County across the Susquehanna County border.
These are three of the 13 parts to this proposed project, which includes work in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New York and Pennsylvania. Kinder Morgan says it would add 2.2 billion cubic feet per day of shipping capacity.
It also plans to build a new 32,000-horsepower compressor station in Susquehanna County with two natural gas-fueled Mars 100 turbines. The company has not specified where exactly this station would go, though its title is “Supply Path Head Station.”
Kinder Morgan submitted its documents to FERC under the docket number PF14-22-000, accessible on FERC’s eLibrary at FERC.gov. It plans to have the project in service by November 2018.
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bgibbons@timesshamrock.com, @bgibbonsTT on Twitter
