Colorado Interstate Gas Co. has begun transporting an additional33 Mdth/d of natural gas from the Raton Basin to delivery points onits system following completion of its Picketwire Lateral Loop insouthern Colorado. The Coastal Corp.’s Rocky Mountain pipelinesubsidiary placed the line in service Oct. 24.

The 20-inch, 12.5-mile pipeline is expected to meet producerdemands for additional capacity out of the basin, now one of themost prolific coal bed methane production areas in the country.Total coal bed methane resources in the basin are estimated to bemore than 18 Tcf, according to a U.S. Geological Survey report.

Capacity on the loop has been committed to existing CIGshippers, including Evergreen Resources Inc., Barrett ResourcesCorp., El Paso Production Co. and Shenandoah Energy Inc. Since1994, CIG has invested nearly $45 million in facilities directlytied to Raton Basin production with the 115-mile Campo Lateral, theCucharras Lateral and several smaller laterals for individualcustomers.

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