FERC agreed to initiate the pre-filing process Wednesday for the MIDSHIP Project, a Midcontinent-to-Gulf Coast transmission project being backed by Cheniere Midstream Holdings Inc.

Cheniere pre-filed MIDSHIP [PF17-3] with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Oct. 28. The project would carry 1.4 Bcf/d of gas to connect production out of the Anadarko Basin — namely the STACK (Sooner Trend of the Anadarko Basin, mostly in Canadian and Kingfisher counties) and SCOOP (South Central Oklahoma Oil Province) — to markets in the Gulf Coast.

The project would be split into two zones. Zone 1 would involve construction of 200 miles of new 36-inch diameter pipe running from the Okarche Processing Plant in Okarche, OK, to Bennington, OK. Zone 2 would involve leasing 353 miles of existing pipeline from Midcontinent Express Pipeline LLC and/or Gulf Crossing Pipeline Co. LLC, Cheniere said. The leased capacity would run from Bennington, OK, to Tallulah, LA.

The MIDSHIP Project would “transport gas out of the SCOOP and STACK to access more desirable markets via deliveries to existing market hubs, such as TexOk near Atlanta, TX, and Perryville, LA,” Cheniere told FERC.

Cheniere plans to file for a certificate with FERC in May and is targeting an in-service date of June 2019, according to docket filings.

Cheniere Midstream Holdings is a subsidiary of Houston-based Cheniere Energy Inc., a major player in U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports. Cheniere began exporting from its Sabine Pass LNG terminal earlier this year (see Daily GPI, Feb. 24) and is also involved in development of an export project in Corpus Christi, TX (see Daily GPI, Aug. 31, 2015).