The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) began thecertification process for the Coastal Corp.’s Gulfstream NaturalGas project, a pipeline from Mobile, AL, across the Gulf of Mexicoand the state of Florida. And in related news, Williams re-filedit’s application for the competing Buccaneer Gas Pipeline. Aprevious Williams filing was rejected without prejudice forinsufficient environmental information.

Coastal said Gulfstream is the first major pipeline project tocomply with FERC Orders No. 603 and No. 603-A. These orders requirethat applications contain significantly more information up frontthan in the past on environmental conditions along a proposedproject route.

“With 10 large, nonaffiliated customers already committed to asubstantial portion of Gulfstream’s 1.1 Bcf/d capacity, our goalwas to submit a complete and comprehensive application with theFERC’s recent orders clearly in mind,” said Jeffrey A. Connelly,Coastal senior vice president, natural gas. “We’re pleased thatGulfstream continues to be on schedule to deliver clean-burningnatural gas to Florida by June 2002.”

The Gulfstream application, submitted to FERC on Oct. 15contained 17 volumes of data, 16 of which were detailedenvironmental reports, maps and aerial photographs covering boththe offshore and land portions of the proposed pipeline route. Morethan 80% of the proposed 744-mile route has undergone civil andenvironmental surveys. Gulfstream’s customers are electricutilities and power producers that plan to use gas to fuel newelectric generation to help meet the state’s need for 25% morepower by 2007.

The re-filed Buccaneer application is similarly comprehensive. Aspokesman said Williams’ filing includes five volumes of resourcereports equivalent to about four or five telephone books. TheBuccaneer filing itself is equivalent to “a small textbook,” andthere are 10 map books that stack up to about eight inches.Williams’ in-house copy center turned away other work and ranvirtually around the clock for two weeks to produce thedocumentation.

“Williams believes that the market should determine whatprojects are built in all markets including Florida. As a result,Buccaneer, like Williams’ other five interstate natural gaspipelines, is being designed to be more reliable, flexible, andcompetitively-priced than any other alternative.”

The 674-mile Buccaneer Gas Pipeline system is designed todeliver 900,000 Dth/d of gas to power generation facilities andother natural gas users located throughout the state. The $1.5billion project has a targeted in-service date of April 1, 2002.

©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.