After the recent successful completion of an open season on anadded 124,5000 Dth/d of firm transportation capacity intoCalifornia along its 922-mile interstate pipeline, Williams’subsidiary Kern River Gas Transmission will announce another openseason this week, perhaps as early as today for additional newcapacity on the pipeline carrying Rocky Mountain supplies fromsouthwest Wyoming, a Salt Lake City-based Kern River spokespersonsaid Tuesday.

Although the spokesperson indicated the current 700MMcf/d-capacity pipeline is running full these days, Kern River hasno plans to re-open its previous proposals to build transmissionlaterals within California, heading north and south into majorindustrial areas of the state. The growing supplies, which areexpected to come into the state to fuel the accelerating demand fornew natural gas-fired electric generation plants, will be fulfilledby adding compression and looping, the spokesperson said.

Kern River is planning on bringing “a lot more volumes” intoCalifornia in the years ahead, said the spokesperson, noting thatthe recent capacity expansion will be made possible by an $80million project to add three new compressor stations, additionalcompression at an existing Wyoming station, restage a compressor inUtah and upgrade two meter stations. The new open season isexpected to run for two months through the end of January formarketers, merchant generators, large industrial plants andutilities along the pipeline route in Utah, Nevada and California,all of which have been experiencing tremendous energy load growth.The bulk of the interest is still expected to come from California,the spokesperson said.

Richard Nemec, Los Angeles

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