The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has given final environmental clearance to the U.S. leg of the Georgia Strait Crossing pipeline, a joint Williams-BC Hydro project that would transport natural gas to power generators on Vancouver Island in Canada from connections with Northwest Pipeline and Westcoast Energy near Sumas, WA.

“We have determined that construction and operation of the [Georgia Strait] project would result in limited adverse environmental impacts,” FERC staff said in its final environmental impact statement (FEIS). “We have developed specific mitigation measures that we believe are appropriate and reasonable” to address these concerns, and would make the project “environmentally acceptable.”

FERC staff said the favorable environmental review was based on the fact that about 73% of the onshore route of the U.S. leg would be adjacent to existing pipeline, powerline or road rights-of-way, and about 69% of the onshore facilities would be located in areas that have been disturbed previously by agricultural, grazing or industrial activities.

The Georgia Strait project received a favorable preliminary determination on non-environmental issues from the Commission in mid-March, and is now awaiting a certificate (See Daily GPI, March 14).

The project calls for the construction of 47.3 miles of pipeline — 33.1 miles of 20-inch diameter onshore pipe from Sumas to Cherry Point, WA; and 13.9 miles of 16-inch diameter pipe from Cherry Point to an offshore interconnect with the Canadian leg of the Georgia Strait project, which would deliver gas into the distribution system of Centra Gas British Columbia Inc. on Vancouver Island, BC. BC Hydro is the sponsor of the Canadian portion of the pipeline.

The Georgia Strait project would deliver 95,700 Dth/d initially, all of which has been committed to Powerex under a 30-year negotiated agreement.

Earlier this year, Williams notified FERC that it would postpone the in-service data of the project until Oct. 1, 2004 because it said it was unlikely that approvals could be obtained in time from Canadian regulators to complete the Canadian leg of the pipeline to meet the original planned date of Oct. 1, 2003. It also said construction costs for the project would be higher ($94.9 million), compared to its original projection of $90.7 million.

©Copyright 2002 Intelligence Press Inc. All rights reserved. The preceding news report may not be republished or redistributed, in whole or in part, in any form, without prior written consent of Intelligence Press, Inc.