Spectra Energy Partners has become the sixth member of PennEast Pipeline Co. LLC. Spectra joins AGL Resources; NJR Pipeline Co., a subsidiary of New Jersey Resources; PSEG Power LLC; South Jersey Industries; and UGI Energy Services (UGIES), a subsidiary of UGI Corp. Spectra Energy Partners and PSEG Power each have a 10% interest in PennEast; the remaining member companies each have a 20% interest. UGIES is the project manager and will operate the pipeline. The 108-mile, 36-inch diameter PennEast is planned to transport 1 Bcf/d of gas from northeastern Pennsylvania to an interconnect with Transcontinental Gas Pipeline in Mercer County, NJ (see Shale Daily, Sept. 5; Aug. 12). “This project provides Spectra Energy Partners with a strategic opportunity to leverage our existing assets by directly connecting northeast Pennsylvania Marcellus Shale production to our Texas Eastern Transmission and Algonquin Gas Transmission systems, and allows us to further strengthen our relationship with some of our biggest customers,” said Bill Yardley, Spectra Energy president of U.S. transmission and storage.

FirstEnergy Corp. has completed a $3 million transmission line in its Ohio Edison service territory to replace temporary equipment that was serving Pennant Midstream LLC’s Hickory Bend Cryogenic processing plant in northeast Ohio. The 3.5-mile, 138 kV line will allow for expansions at the facility and comes as part of FirstEnergy’s plan to invest $730 million in area service infrastructure. Hickory Bend, capable of processing 200 MMcf/d of wet gas, is a joint venture of Hilcorp Energy Co. affiliate Harvest Pipeline Co. and NiSource Midstream Services LLC. It entered service earlier this year. At the time, NiSource officials said it could eventually accommodate another two plants, which would bring its processing capacity up to 1 Bcf/d (see Shale Daily, Jan. 6).