Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline LLC, which transports natural gas from Canada to the New England Corridor, said it is in the “beginning stages” of a plan that will triple the capacity of it 850-mile pipeline to 1.5 Bcf/d from its current capacity of 440 MMcf/d.

The gas likely would come from two proposed Canadian liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals, one planned by Anadarko Petroleum Corp. in Bear Head, NS, and another proposed by Irving Oil and Repsol in Saint John, NB.

The pipeline expansion plan is still in the early stages, but company officials have set a target date of November 2008 for new capacity to come online. At the conclusion of an open season last month about a potential expansion, Maritimes said that shippers requested about 1.5 Bcf/d in capacity (see NGI, May 2).

The expansion would include five compressor stations in Maine, one compressor station in Massachusetts and additional stations in Canada. Maritimes has not yet put a price tag on the project, however. Details should be completed by the end of this year, when a filing is scheduled with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

©Copyright 2005Intelligence Press Inc. All rights reserved. The preceding news reportmay not be republished or redistributed, in whole or in part, in anyform, without prior written consent of Intelligence Press, Inc.