The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Thursday issued a certificate to Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corp. to loop part of its natural gas transportation system in Burlington County, NJ.

The project calls for the construction of 3.77 miles of 36-inch diameter pipeline looping facilities on Transco’s existing Trenton Woodbury Line in Burlington County to provide an additional 105,000 Dth/d of firm transportation to distributor South Jersey Gas Co., which serves more than 311,000 gas customers in southern New Jersey.

Construction on the $12.4 million project is scheduled to begin this summer and be completed by November. Transco has executed a binding precedent agreement with South Jersey Gas to receive the full project capacity under a 20-year primary term.

Without the project, Transco told FERC that it would not have sufficient capacity to maintain pressure commitments to its existing customers while transmitting the additional 105,000 Dth/d sought by South Jersey Gas.

FERC gave Transco, a pipeline subsidiary of Williams Cos., the green light to roll in the costs of the project in its next rate case, absent a significant change in circumstances.

The 10,500-mile Transco system originates in the Gulf Coast region and runs up the East Coast into the Northeast, and delivers approximately 8.1 MMDth/d.

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