FERC has granted another request from Algonquin Gas Transmission LLC authorizing the company to place part of its Atlantic Bridge project into service in Connecticut.

Algonquin said last week its Salem Pike Meter and Regulating Station in New London is complete and ready to flow gas. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Wednesday authorized the company to place it into service, clearing the way for decommissioning to start on an older meter station that the new site is replacing.

It was the latest approval for the project. FERC granted another request from Algonquin last week, authorizing service to start on a lift and relay pipe built in Westchester County, NY, along with bypass facilities to use the existing Algonquin pipeline crossing the Taconic State Parkway.

While the pipe won’t enable additional firm transportation for Atlantic Bridge shippers, it would ensure Algonquin system reliability while crews finish a horizontal directional drill for pipeline that would be installed for the project underneath the parkway in New York, where construction is ongoing.

The $450 million Atlantic Bridge project would add about 132.7 MMcf/d to the Algonquin and Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline systems to move more natural gas to markets in New England and the Canadian Maritime provinces.

The project includes adding a 7,700 hp compressor station in Norfolk County, MA; roughly 6.3 miles of 42-inch diameter pipe to replace existing 26-inch pipe in Westchester County, NY, and Fairfield County, CT; and the metering station in Connecticut. Atlantic Bridge would also expand three existing compressor stations in New York and Connecticut to add another 31,950 hp, along with various other modifications to existing equipment.

Late last year, FERC authorized some facilities in Connecticut to enter service, allowing Atlantic Bridge to bring online 40 MMcf/d of firm transportation. The project is fully subscribed by five local distribution companies, two manufacturing companies and a municipal utility, according to FERC filings.

The Commission issued Atlantic Bridge a certificate in January 2017 despite calls from opponents to halt the project. FERC later denied requests from a coalition of environmental and other stakeholder groups for rehearings of various approvals it granted to the project, including notices to proceed with construction and service authorizations. Aspects of the project, such as the compressor station in Norfolk County, MA, have also been delayed because of legal challenges.