FERC on Wednesday approved Egan Hub Storage’s request to boost the compression of an already approved expansion of its natural gas storage facility in Acadia Parish, LA, as well as its plea for another delay in the in-service date.

Specifically Egan Hub, a subsidiary of Duke Energy Gas Transmission, asked FERC to amend an April 2003 certificate order, which allowed the company to carry out a second expansion that — when combined with an ongoing expansion — would raise the maximum operating capacity of three salt dome storage caverns to 31.5 Bcf, of which 24 Bcf would be working gas.

In the latest order, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved Egan Hub’s plan to install two 13,330 horsepower (hp) gas turbine compressor units in lieu of the three 7,860 hp reciprocating compressor units approved in April 2003, for an increase of 3,080 hp of compression. Egan Hub also proposes to install additional piping and associated facilities [CP03-12-001].

“Egan Hub…claims that the additional 3,080 hp of compression, along with minor piping changes completed under its blanket certificate authorization, will allow for an increase in the maximum daily injection capability from 0.8 Bcf to 1.3 Bcf and an increase in the maximum daily withdrawal capability from 1.5 Bcf to 2.5 Bcf,” the order said.

In addition, FERC approved Egan Hub’s request for another extension of the deadline to complete the two coordinated storage expansions. The company now has until Oct. 1, 2009 to put the expansions in service. This comes only two months after Egan Hub asked the Commission to give it until June 14, 2008 to complete the projects — a request that FERC approved (see Daily GPI, May 4).

The initial storage expansion, which was approved in a June 2001 order, was to have been placed into operation in June 2004, while the second expansion approved in April 2003 was to have put in service in April of this year.

Duke Energy subsidiary Market Hub Partners (MHP) owns Egan Hub, which has 16 Bcf of existing storage capacity. MHP also owns and operates the Moss Bluff, TX, salt dome, which has 16 Bcf of working gas capacity as well.

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