The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Thursday gave Florida Gas Transmission (FGT) the green light to place into service the remaining facilities associated with the $2.45 billion Phase VIII Expansion to serve gas-fired power generators and utilities in Florida.

The remaining facilities include “Loops 1 and 11; Greenfield Laterals 1 and 3; modifications to compressor stations 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 24, 26 and 27; new compressor station 29; and the Progress Energy Meter and Regulator (M&R) Station, the Transco-Citronell M&R Station and the Suwannee Lateral Regulator Station,” the FERC order said [CP09-17].

The Phase VIII Expansion Project, which FERC approved in November 2009, adds more than 483 miles of pipeline loops, laterals and mainline and installs 213,600 hp of compression at eight existing stations and one new compressor station (see Daily GPI, Nov. 20, 2009). The project also called for FGT to acquire the existing 22.7-mile Martin Lateral from Florida Power & Light Co. (FPL), which will serve power plants located in Manatee, Martin, Miami-Dade and Suwannee counties, FL. The Phase VIII Expansion is intended to create 820,000 MMBtu/d of capacity on FGT’s system from Alabama to Florida.

The expansion’s Phase 1 facilities, which involved the construction and operation of facilities to serve FPL’s Manatee Power Plant, went into service in mid-2010. Phase 2 service is scheduled to start by April 1.

FGT proposes to transport natural gas to five other shippers: Florida Power Corp./Progress Energy Florida Inc.; Seminole Electric Cooperative Inc.; Tampa Electric Co.; the Orlando Utilities Commission; and the City of Tallahassee.

The 5,000-mile FGT system is one of two pipelines serving Florida — with the other being Gulfstream Natural Gas System.

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