The Public Service Co. of Colorado announced yesterday italready has begun construction of its 53-mile Front Range Pipelinewhich, when completed, will serve the Denver, CO, natural gasmarket. The construction comes less than one month after theColorado Public Utilities Commission gave the go-ahead for the $25million pipeline project.

“This project represents the largest single expansion of our gasdelivery system ever,” said Wayne Brunetti, president and COO ofNew Century Energies, parent company of Public Service. “Thecapacity of this 24-inch pipeline will provide 269,000 Dth – enoughnatural gas to serve about 150,000 customers.”

Although there are competing plans on the table for a similarpipeline service in this part of the state – namely KN Energy’sFront Runner Pipeline – “we are pleased to be the one moving aheadnow,” he noted. The pipeline will run from the Chalk Bluffs Hubnear the Colorado-Wyoming border to a point near the Fort St. Vraingenerating station, and is expected to be completed by November.

The Front Range Pipeline will be funded through WYCO DevelopmentLLC, an alliance between Public Service and Colorado Interstate Gasthat was formed recently to increase access to supplies of naturalgas.

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