Citing “disparate treatment” of its proposed Sweden Valley pipeline expansion project relative to some liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects, Dominion Energy is calling on FERC to approve its plans by Thursday.

The Sweden Valley project, a 120,000 Dth/d pipeline expansion that would move natural gas from Pennsylvania to Ohio to serve growing power generation demand in the Midwest, was first filed by Dominion Energy Transmission Inc. more than a year ago [CP18-45].

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission staff issued a positive environmental assessment for the project seven months ago. Dominion had expected to received a certificate of public convenience and necessity by Nov. 10, 2018 to accommodate a targeted in-service date of Nov. 1, 2019.

Sweden Valley was included in the agenda released prior to FERC’s Dec. 20 open meeting, but Sweden Valley and a second item — a proposed certificate for Venture Global’s Calcasieu Pass LNG export project in Louisiana — were removed from the agenda prior to the meeting. Speculation at the time was that the two-Republican, two-Democrat Commission was unable to come to agreement on the projects.

Last week, FERC applied what it said was a new approach to consider LNG export terminals, and it approved the Calcasieu Pass in a notational order [CP15-551]. The project would have an export capacity of 10 million metric tons/year and include two 200,000 cubic meter LNG storage tanks; two LNG berthing docks, designed to handle carriers of 120,000-210,000 cubic meter cargo capacity; and a 1,500-foot by 3,000-foot turning basin adjacent to the Calcasieu River Ship Channel.

Calcasieu Pass also calls for constructing 23.4 miles of 42-inch diameter pipeline to bring feed gas to the terminal site. The pipeline would have interconnections with ANR Pipeline Co., Texas Eastern Transmission LP and Bridgeline Holdings LP.

In addition, several other natural gas projects have been authorized by FERC since the December meeting, according to Dominion President-Gas Transmission Paul Ruppert, but no action has been taken on the Sweden Valley project.

“The disparate treatment between Sweden Valley and the recently approved Venture Global’s LNG export project, as well as to other projects authorized since last December, is difficult to reconcile, especially considering the differences in the size and scope of the Sweden Valley project,” Ruppert said in a recent letter to FERC Chairman Neil Chatterjee.

The project faced no opposition, obtained all necessary rights-of-way through private negotiations with landowners, and would be entirely co-located within existing right-of-way, Ruppert said.

Dominion could still begin and complete construction in time to meet the contractual in-service date for transportation service — “albeit with an accelerated construction effort” — if FERC votes to issue a certificate by Thursday (Feb. 28), Ruppert said.