Coastal’s ANR Pipeline applied to the FERC for another Wisconsinexpansion to add nearly 200 MMcf/d of capacity to go in service inNovember. 2000.

The filing follows an open season that garnered some electricpower generation load among other customers. The expansion alsoanticipates future market growth, which has been running at about3% a year, said spokesman Joe Martucci. “We’ve got marketcommitment for this project.”

“This filing – our second such expansion proposal in the last 18months – represents another major step in our ongoing efforts toprovide Wisconsin customers with additional pipeline capacity atthe lowest rates and with the least environmental impact,” saidJeffrey A. Connelly, ANR president. “Phased-in expansion of theexisting ANR system represents the most efficient way for Wisconsinto gain access to increased supplies of natural gas at ANR’s JolietHub via flexible and economical transportation and storageservices.”

The $37.5 million expansion would consist mainly of 20,000additional horsepower at ANR’s Woodstock, IL, compressor station;1,500 additional horsepower each at the Existing Janesville, WI,and Weyauwega, WI, stations; and three miles of 42-inch pipelooping adjacent to ANR’s existing system in Kendall County, IL.

Construction of ANR’s most recent Wisconsin expansion,consisting of 11.7 miles of 30-inch pipeline looping in WaukeshaCounty, WI, is expected to begin this spring. ANR applied to theFERC for that project in September 1997 and received approval ayear later. This time around, FERC asked for a preliminarydetermination by Aug. 1 and final approval by Feb. 1, 2000.

ANR is the only pipeline between northern Illinois and SouthernWisconsin. The pipeline’s continued growth follows the demise oftwo competing projects, Voyageur, and Illinois-Wisconsin Express,that were to provide takeaway capacity from the Chicago hub tosouthern Wisconsin. TransCanada PipeLines and Nicor Inc. backed thecanceled Voyageur project. Illinois-Wisconsin Express, which wasput on hold pending commitment from an unnamed LDC customer, isbacked by a coalition of El Paso Energy, Enron, Peoples Energy, andNorthern Border Pipeline.

©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.