Texas Eastern Transmission LP has filed at FERC for its South Texas Expansion Project (STEP), which through the addition of compression and other facilities would transform its existing Line 16 system to bidirectional service.

The project would allow Texas Eastern to provide 400,000 Dth/d of new incremental service for the project’s anchor shipper and to increase the reliability and flexibility of service for all shippers on this portion of the Texas Eastern system, the Spectra Energy Partners pipeline told the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [CP15-499].

“Texas Eastern designed STEP to increase service on the Texas Eastern system to provide an efficient means of delivering supplies of natural gas from its interconnections with Golden Triangle Storage Inc. (AGL Golden Triangle Storage?) and Centana Intrastate Pipeline, both of which are located in Texas near the Texas-Louisiana border in Texas Eastern’s Zone WLA, to a new interconnection located at the proposed Petronila Compressor Station site,” the pipeline told FERC. “STEP will deliver gas into a proposed newly constructed pipeline that has been proposed to serve downstream markets and deliver into other pipeline facilities in Texas.”

STEP includes installation of an 8,400 hp compressor unit, a meter and regulating station, and appurtenant facilities on existing Texas Eastern property in Nueces County, TX. It also includes installation of an 8,400 HP compressor unit, piping modifications, and appurtenant facilities at the existing Blessing Compressor Station in Matagorda County, TX, as well as modification to piping and other compression facilities at the Mont Belvieu Compressor Station in Chambers County, TX; Vidor Compressor Station in Orange County, TX; and Angleton Compressor Station in Brazoria County, TX. There also would be modifications made to piping at existing pig launcher and receive sites along Texas Eastern’s Line 16 in Brazoria, Chambers, and Orange counties.

Mexico’s Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE), the project’s anchor customer, has subscribed for incremental service on a transportation path extending from points near the Texas-Louisiana border to the new delivery point at the Petronila Compressor Station site.

“The project is an efficient and cost-effective means for significantly increasing the capacity of the pipeline grid in South Texas and providing new incremental firm service on the Texas Eastern system,” the pipeline said. “Traditionally, Texas Eastern’s pipeline system has flowed gas from South Texas in a northeasterly direction to markets along the system and up to the northeastern United States. STEP will allow Texas Eastern for the first time to have the ability flow gas on this portion of its system in both the traditional northeasterly direction and in the non-traditional, southwesterly direction in order to bring the emerging domestic shale production and other production connected to the Texas Eastern system to downstream gas hungry markets.”

Texas Eastern requested a Commission order by May 1, 2017.