The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said it will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) for Columbia Gas Transmission‘s proposed Central Virginia Connector Project in Louisa and Goochland counties in Virginia [CP16-493]. Columbia has proposed replacing three Solar Saturn Units (1,350 hp each) with one Solar Centaur 50 unit (4,050 hp) at the existing Louisa Compressor Station, converting the replaced units to standby, increasing the certificated horsepower of the compressor station to 6,130 hp from the current 4,050 hp, and other associated modifications. The project would modernize the compressor station and provide an additional 45,000 Dth/d of firm transportation service to two shippers, according to Columbia’s application. Construction is scheduled to begin in October 2017 with a scheduled in-service date of Oct. 31, 2018. FERC will accept public comments on the project through Oct. 27.

Alaska Gov. Bill Walker and members of his oil and gas team met in South Korea with the U. S. Ambassador and key government and company officials about potential offtake, investment and partnership opportunities in Alaska’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) project. “Korea spends at least $10 billion on LNG every year,” Walker said. “Alaska reinjects twice the amount of natural gas that the entire country of South Korea uses every day. That gives us an indication of the significant potential annual revenue for the state.” Korea currently imports liquefied natural gas from the Gulf of Mexico and the Middle East, where shipments can take up to 25 days to arrive. Importing from Alaska would significantly shorten the delivery time — to about eight days, according to Alaska officials. “Alaska’s location makes our project strategically advantageous to Korea, one of the world’s top LNG consumers,” Walker said. “We were able to confirm during our meetings that the Asian market will be looking for new sources to begin supplying LNG no later than 2023 — which matches the Alaska LNG market delivery window.”