Spectra Energy’s Texas Eastern Transmission LP is holding a nonbinding open season through July 31 for firm capacity on its Uniontown to Gas City (U2GC) Expansion Project, which offers shippers a new firm path from the Marcellus Shale in west Uniontown, PA, to the pipeline’s existing interconnect with Panhandle Eastern Pipeline near Gas City, IN.

“This new firm transportation path will allow shippers to gain access to Midwest markets that are not currently available to shippers on Texas Eastern,” the pipeline said in a notice to customers. “U2GC is intended to meet the needs for new capacity of interested producers and other shippers as early as the mid-2013 timeframe and has a target capacity of 300,000 Dth/d.”

Spectra said that “as the growth in Appalachian supplies, driven primarily by the Marcellus and now Utica shales, continues to rise steadily, the need for new market outlets has become critical.”

The project would include facilities to enable bi-directional flow of gas between Texas Eastern Interconnects with pipelines that have historically accessed the Midcontinent and the Marcellus supply areas of southwestern Pennsylvania, West Virginia and the Utica Shale supply area in Ohio. “In doing so, Texas Eastern will create a valuable new firm path from these supply areas to liquid points that can ultimately access markets in Michigan, Ontario and the Midwest,” the pipeline said.

U2GC would provide shippers the opportunity to design services from multiple existing and proposed new receipt points on Texas Eastern in West Virginia, Ohio and southwestern Pennsylvania that span a portion of the pipeline’s M2 market zone west of the Uniontown Compressor Station to delivery points on the Texas Eastern mainline near Lebanon, OH, and farther on Texas Eastern’s Lebanon Lateral to interconnects with Panhandle Eastern Pipe Line near Gas City.

“In addition, Texas Eastern will consider requests for firm transportation solely on the Lebanon Lateral system from interconnects with multiple interstate pipeline companies at Lebanon, OH, for redelivery to meters on the Lebanon Lateral including but not limited to Panhandle Eastern at Gas City, IN, or to ANR Pipeline near Glen Karn, OH,” the pipeline said.

For information on the open season, contact Bob Riga at rgriga@spectraenergy.com.

Previously announced Spectra projects, such as Team 2012, the New Jersey/New York Expansion and Team 2014, also have targeted growing supplies of Appalachian gas (see Shale Daily, Jan. 20).