Staffs of FERC and the California State Lands Commission (CSLC) have jointly given final environmental clearance to Kern River Gas Transmission’s $1.2 billion 2003 expansion, which will more than double the existing transportation capacity of the Wyoming-to-California natural gas pipeline.

Construction of Kern River’s mammoth expansion would be an “environmentally acceptable action,” provided the pipeline adheres to its proposed mitigation measures and complies with the recommended mitigation initiatives of the agencies, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the CSLC said in their final environmental impact statement (FEIS) on the project.

The fact that nearly all of the proposed expansion would be located adjacent to Kern River’s existing pipeline system and within or close to existing rights-of-way figured prominently in the staffs’ favorable decision.

The project would add 885,626 Dth/d of incremental pipeline space, bringing the total system capacity to 1.73 Bcf/d. It calls for about 717 miles of the pipeline’s 922-mile system to be looped from Wyoming to Bakersfield, CA, and for the addition of 163,700 horsepower of compression at three new and six existing compressor stations. The expansion, which is targeted for operation by May 2003, would increase deliveries of natural gas to customers in Utah, Nevada and California.

The Kern River expansion received a favorable preliminary determination on non-environmental grounds in early March, as well as a draft environmental impact statement.

Formerly a crown jewel of Williams, Williams sold the Kern River pipeline to Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary, MidAmerican Energy Holdings, in March as part of a $960 million cash-and-debt assumption deal (See NGI, March 11).

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