Enbridge Inc.’s Texas Eastern Transmission LP (Tetco) requested FERC authorization this week to place the second phase of its 650,000 Dth/d bidirectional Gulf Markets Expansion Project into service by Aug. 1 to carry natural gas supply from Appalachia to the Gulf Coast.

Phase 1 entered service in September 2016 and brought on 250,000 Dth/d of capacity.

Tetco has requested written authorization by next Tuesday (July 25) from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to start-up the second phase and bring on the remaining capacity [CP15-90].

FERC issued a certificate for the project in December 2015. At that time, Tetco anticipated an in-service date for the two phases of November 2016 and August 2017.

Once in service, the entire expansion would add capacity of 350,000 Dth/d in Market Zone 2, enhancing access to supplies from the Marcellus and Utica shales; 150,000 Dth/d in Market Zone 1; and 1500,000 Dth/d in Zone STX, providing additional capacity for gas supply areas in Texas.

The expansion would also include an additional 150,000 Dth/d of capacity in Zone M1 and 500,000 Dth/d in Zone WLA, including capacity at Tetco’s interconnection with Golden Triangle Storage and the Cameron Interstate Pipeline. The expansion includes facilities in Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas.

The Phase 2 facilities to be placed into service include pipes and launching/receiving equipment modifications at existing compressor stations. A compressor unit at the Speaks Compressor Station in Lavaca County, TX, also would be placed into service. Project shippers are Mitsubishi, GDF Suez, MMGS Inc. (Mitsui), EQT Corp. and Range Resources Corp.