The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission did not overlook Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line and Northern Natural Gas when it was doling out the numerous project certificates and preliminary determinations (PD) on non-environmental issues Wednesday. The agency awarded Transco a PD for a looping and lateral project in New Jersey to serve local distribution and generation load, while it handed Northern Natural a certificate to proceed with construction in Nebraska to alleviate constraints on its system.

Transco is seeking to build 7.17 miles of 36-inch pipeline looping on its existing Trenton Woodbury Line, creating 51,037 Dth/d of incremental firm transportation capacity for two existing shippers — Peco Energy Co., an LDC, and Virginia Power Energy Marketing Inc. (VAPEM), which will use the gas to fuel a new electric generating plant being constructed on behalf of Fairless Energy in Bucks County, PA. A proposed 2.48-mile lateral to be built by Transco will supply gas to the Fairless Energy plant.

Transco has targeted the Fairless Delivery Lateral for in-service on Aug. 1, 2003, and the Trenton Woodbury Expansion facilities for in-service on Nov. 1, 2003, according to the order [CP02-204]. It estimated the cost of the lateral at $13 million, and the cost of the expansion facilities at $19.6 million.

Northern Natural’s certificate gives it the go-ahead to proceed with minor modifications at facilities at its Beatrice Compressor Station in Gage County, NE, a project that will provide an additional 90 MMcf/d of downstream capacity on the constrained system. Approximately 33 MMcf/d of the capacity will be needed to meet the firm market requirements of shippers during the first year of service under Northern Natural’s planned Market Area expansion project (Project MAX), the order said [CP02-139].

Northern Natural said it plans to file an application at FERC for its Project MAX expansion, which it estimated will create an additional 137 MMcf/d of capacity for Project MAX shippers.

The remainder of the 90 MMcf/d of capacity will be posted on Northern Natural’s web site and made available to shippers on a non-discriminatory basis, the pipeline said. Northern Natural’s certificate requires the pipeline to complete the compressor project, which will cost an estimated $290,000, within one year.

The Commission deferred action on Northern Natural’s request for a waiver that would permit it to sell capacity created by the Beatrice Station project to non-Project MAX shippers until it is needed for Project MAX. While FERC found Northern Natural’s request to be “generally consistent” with existing Commission policy, it directed the pipeline to file tariff sheets within 15 days spelling out its proposal.

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