Florida Gas Transmission has started construction on its PhaseIV expansion project, which includes a new pipeline to Fort Myersfrom Tampa. The project, initiating in Hillsboro and Lee Counties,FL, will provide 197 MMcf/d of incremental firm transportationservice on an annual basis and will extend FGT’s 4,700-mileexisting transmission system by 139 miles.

“Initiation of construction on this expansion reinforces FGT’sability to meet the growing energy needs of Florida today andtomorrow,” said Rockford G. Meyer, president of FGT. “We arepleased to make gas available to Southwest Florida for the firsttime through our expansion into the Fort Myers area.”

With an expected in-service date of May 2001, the $268 millionPhase IV project will add more than 38,000 hp of compression inMississippi, Alabama and Florida and 205 miles of pipeline(laterals and looping).

The start-up of the Phase IV expansion is being scheduled tocoincide with the operation of Florida Power and Light’s (FP&L)repowered gas-fired generation facility in Ft. Myers. FP&L willbe the largest shipper on FGT’s latest expansion project. Othershippers that have signed up for new FGT capacity include: FloridaPower Corp., Kissimmee Utility Authority, Florida Municipal PowerAgency, Peoples Gas, Georgia-Pacific Corp., National Gypsum, andEnron Capital & Trade Resources. All have executed 20-yearservice agreements.

To meet the expected surge in gas demand for power generation,the FGT expansion would tie into Destin Pipeline LLC andTranscontinental Gas Pipe Line’s Citronelle interconnect on itsMobile Bay Line. These would give Florida customers access todeep-water gas supplies being developed in the federal offshorearea of the Gulf of Mexico. FGT is expected to add a total of about600 MMcf/d of incremental mainline capacity in Florida via its VIand V expansions.

Rocco Canonica

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