FERC staff will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for Tennessee Gas Pipeline’s (TGP) proposed Northeast Energy Direct (NED) project.

TGP plans to construct and operate 412 miles of new natural gas transmission pipeline and associated facilities in Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Connecticut. It also plans to make modifications at existing compressor and meter stations and construct nine new compressor stations, 14 new meter stations, and various appurtenant facilities.

The facilities would be capable of moving 2.2 Bcf/d of natural gas to markets in the northeastern United States and Canada. It is intended to take advantage of abundant gas supplies in Appalachia to supply power generators and local distribution companies in the New England states, which have suffered from supply curtailments and price spikes, particularly during winter months.

The pipeline would include supply path and market path components.The supply path would deliver gas from the existing Tennessee Gas 300 Line to its existing 200 Line near Wright, NY. It would include 135 miles in Pennsylvania and New York, as well as 32 miles of pipeline loop along the 300 Line in Pennsylvania.

The market path would include 188 miles of pipeline from Wright to Massachusetts and New Hampshire, ending in Dracut, MA. This portion of the project would generally be collocated with existing linear infrastructure, TGP told the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [PF14-22].

Additionally, NED would include seven pipeline laterals, loops or delivery lines in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire to deliver gas to local markets.

Prefiling review of the project has already begun. Comments on the project for the EIS are invited and must be submitted by Aug. 31.

Last month, TGP, a Kinder Morgan Inc. pipeline, told the Commission it was dropping two laterals from the project; it was previously expected to have nine (see Daily GPI,June 4). Last year, TGP modified the pipeline’s proposed route to follow more existing power line rights-of-way (see Daily GPI, Dec. 8, 2014).