Of the estimated 33,000 natural gas customers who were impacted by Superstorm Sandy, New Jersey Natural Gas (NJNG) reported on Wednesday that it had restored service to about 18,000 meters on Long Beach Island in Monmouth County and parts of Ocean County. However, before gas can flow to the meters, residents have to return to their homes, have their electricity restored and hire qualified technicians to ensure the equipment is safe to operate, said a NJNG spokesman. He said it was a “little harder to quantify” how much of the distribution system’s infrastructure, which was damaged by Sandy, would have to be replaced.

Questar Pipeline is seeking approval to expand its pipeline system by building a 15-mile loop and associated facilities in Duchesne County, UT. The Jurisdictional Lateral (JL) 47 Loop would extend north from its southern terminus at the intersection of Questar’s existing main line at Pete’s Wash to the pipeline’s Brundage Mountain Tap, providing about 62,000 Dth/d of takeaway capacity for Uinta Basin producers, Questar stated. The pipeline, which is owned by Salt Lake City-based Questar Corp., called on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to act on its proposal by April 1 so that it may place the proposed loop into service by September. Questar has entered into precedent agreements with Newfield Production (9,200 Dth/d for 10 years) and Berry Petroleum Co. It said Berry has committed to 10,000 Dth/d in the first year, ramping up every two years for 10 years, with the final year reaching a volume of 24,359 Dth/d. In addition, El Paso Marketing LLC has amended its existing contract to use the loop once the project is in service.

Canada’s Atco Pipelines has launched a public information and consultation program as part of an urban pipeline replacement project, which if approved by the Alberta Utilities Commission, would shift the high-pressure transmission of natural gas out of densely populated areas in Calgary and Edmonton into provincially designated transportation/utility corridors that surround the cities. To submit input visit www.atcopipelines.com/upr or call (855) 802-7546.

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