FERC on Friday issued Mississippi Hub LLC (MS Hub) a certificate to double the capacity of its salt dome storage facility, which is under construction in southern Mississippi.

In September 2009 the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission authorized MS Hub to increase to 22.1 Bcf the storage capacity (17.34 Bcf) that it originally approved in 2007. Facilities that were authorized in the 2007 and 2009 orders still are under construction. The latest order gives MS Hub, a Sempra Energy subsidiary, the go-ahead to expand the capacity of the project to 44.2 Bcf.

The 22.1 Bcf expansion will include 15 Bcf of additional working gas capacity and 7.1 of of additional cushion gas. It will increase delivery capacity to 2.8 Bcf/d from 1.4 Bcf/d and raise the injection capacity to 1.5 Bcf/d from 0.8 Bcf/d [CP10-65].

The project calls for the construction of two 11.05 Bcf salt dome storage caverns in Simpson County, MS; and 37,305 hp of additional compression for gas injection into the storage caverns. The facilities are targeted for completion in 2015.

The Commission said MS Hub could continue to charge market-based rates for its storage services, including any additional services that would be provided by the expansion.

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