Federal authorities gave the green light for a subsidiary of Kinder Morgan Inc. to place the remaining facilities of its Sabine Pass Expansion Project in Louisiana into service.

In an order issued Tuesday, FERC said Kinder Morgan Louisiana Pipeline (KMLP) could start service on the ANR Meter Station and Compressor Station (CS) 760, both in Acadia Parish. The approval was granted on the basis of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s construction inspection in November and KMLP’s recent construction status reports.

KMLP, which had asked for approval to start up the system by last week, said in an update on its restoration efforts that both facilities were mechanically complete and physically able to flow gas, and that restoration and stabilization activities were progressing.

At CS 760 and the ANR Meter Station, KMLP said it has made substantial progress in backfilling, rough and final site grading, coating activities, spreading of seed, mulch and gravel, and site cleanup activities since its request last month to place the remaining facilities in service. Furthermore, a “significant amount of personnel and equipment have been added and dedicated solely to restoration activities…”

Late last month, FERC gave the all-clear for KMLP to start service on the bidirectional Columbia Gulf Transmission LLC Meter Station in Evangeline Parish; the bidirectional Texas Gas Transmission LLC Meter Station, the 36-inch diameter low pressure header, the 24-inch diameter high pressure header and the Pine Prairie Tap in Acadia Parish. In early November, the company placed into service the Sabine Pass Liquefaction LLC (SPL) Lateral and SPL Tap.

The 135-mile, 2.2 Bcf/d KMLP system consists of two pipelines that originate at Cheniere Energy Inc.’s Sabine Pass Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Terminal in Cameron Parish. One pipeline terminates at Columbia Gulf in Evangeline Parish and the second interconnects with Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America (NGPL). The second interconnect continues on NGPL through leased capacity to two delivery interconnects near Johnson Bayou.

The Sabine Pass project was originally expected to go into service in April but is starting up earlier because Cheniere’s expansion to add a fifth train progressed more quickly than expected. Train 5 began producing at the facility in late October and should be substantially completed early next year. KMLP has an agreement in place to supply gas to Train 5 next year.