The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission gave the go-ahead last Wednesday for Tuscarora Gas Transmission to bifurcate its 2002 Expansion Project into two phases to accommodate the delays with environmental approvals for a planned power plant to be served by the expansion.

Tuscarora requested authorization to phase the project’s construction in an amendment to a certificate that it was awarded in January [CP01-153-003]. The certificate cleared the way for it to build pipe and compression facilities to offer up to 95,912 Dth/d of additional firm service on its system to gas distributors and power generators in Nevada and California.

Phase I of the facilities, which include 10.5 miles of pipeline, would provide service by the winter of 2002-2003 to all of Tuscarora’s prospective expansion shippers, with the exception of Duke Energy North America LLC’s proposed 540 MW Washoe generating plant in Nevada. This phase would offer 55,912 Dth of firm transportation service to Sierra Pacific Power Co., Southwest Gas Corp., and Morgan Stanley Capital Group Inc.

The Phase II portion, which consists of a 3.7-mile lateral, would transport an additional 40,000 Dth/d to the planned Washoe plant. The two phases also call for the addition of 24,637 horsepower of compression and minor associated facilities.

FERC’s approval of Tuscarora’s construction of the Phase II facilities was conditioned on the pipeline receiving a favorable environmental review from the Bureau of Land Management, and construction clearance from FERC’s director of Office of Energy Projects, according to the order. Also, Tuscarora must execute contracts for the level of service indicated before it can begin construction of the Phase II facilities, it said.

The agency order requires Tuscarora to complete the Phase I facilities within a year of the order, and the Phase II segment within two years.

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