Preparing for operation after years of fits and starts, Millennium Pipeline Co. LLC has announced a nonbinding open season for shippers seeking firm capacity commencing as early as November 2008 on the company’s 182-mile long, 30-inch diameter pipeline across New York’s Southern Tier and the lower Hudson Valley.

The Millennium pipeline will transport up to 525,400 Dth/d when it goes in service in November 2008. The open season closes on Oct 4. Shippers may request firm transportation service from any mainline receipt point to any mainline delivery point on the Millennium Pipeline system, as well as service from potential supply, storage, pipeline or market laterals. Where mainline expansion facilities would be required, the minimum contract term of 15 years is required, with service commencing as early as November 2009.

Millennium Pipeline can directly or indirectly serve markets in New York, New Jersey and New England. Western New York gas storage and production can be accessed directly through Millennium, and Canadian gas can be delivered through interconnections with Empire State Pipeline and National Fuel Gas Supply.

“Pipelines interconnecting with Leidy storage have received considerable interest in the Millennium transport link in response to their recent open seasons,” said Millennium President Dick Leehr. “This not only reinforces the market’s desire and reliance upon Millennium capacity to serve market growth for future delivery services, but allows Millennium to tailor a properly sized economic expansion to serve those increments of market growth, as it becomes needed.”

Millennium is anchored by customers KeySpan Energy Delivery Long Island (now part of National Grid), Consolidated Edison of New York, Central Hudson Gas and Electric Corp. and Columbia Gas Transmission Corp. Millennium will serve markets along its route in the Southern Tier and lower Hudson Valley as well as providing service to New York City markets through interconnections. Millennium is jointly owned by affiliates of NiSource Inc., KeySpan Corp. (now National Grid), and DTE Energy.

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