Koch Gateway Pipeline has asked FERC for the go-ahead to takeout of service the western portion of its Latex-Fort Worth Mainlineand associated laterals. The system, which extends from near WillsPoint, TX, to Fort Worth, consists of about 102 miles of pipelineand laterals ranging in diameter from 4 to 20 inches.

The facilities have played a “very minor role” for Koch Gatewayover the past decade, delivering an average of 75 Mcf/d to a singlefirm transportation customer (Lone Star Gas) and an average of1,983 Mcf/d in interruptible supplies during 1998. Koch Gatewaysaid it and Lone Star, a Texas LDC, were working to develop a planthat would permit the abandonment of the facilities without”negatively impacting” service to Lone Star’s customers.

“…[F]or Koch Gateway to operate and maintain approximately 100miles of pipeline solely for the purpose of delivering a maximum of250 MMBtu/d for a single firm customer is clearly not in the publicinterest, especially considering that [the] customer’s averagedaily firm gas flows for the calendar year 1998 were only 75MMBtu/d. This level of firm load does not justify either theeconomic, environmental or operating risks of keeping this line inservice,” Koch Gateway told FERC.

It asked that the facilities (also known as West Index 1) beabandoned in place either on June 1 or when the last customerserved by the sole firm transportation customer has been convertedto an alternative service, whichever is later.

©Copyright 1999 Intelligence Press Inc. All rights reserved. Thepreceding news report may not be republished or redistributed, inwhole or in part, in any form, without prior written consent ofIntelligence Press, Inc.