Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline, L.L.C. announced anagreement yesterday with Bangor Gas Co. to transport up to 85,000Dth/d from the Maritimes facilities to Bangor Gas’ proposeddistribution facilities in Veazie, ME, and Bucksport, ME.

A spokesman for Bangor Gas said that while some of this gas hasbeen subscribed for, it won’t flow to the customers until Bangorfinishes its distribution system. Currently there is 200,000 feetof pipe in the ground, the spokesman said, and the company isshooting to have the system finished by the fourth quarter of thisyear.

“With these two interconnects with Maritimes, Bangor Gas willhave the ability to provide six eastern Maine communities withaccess to natural gas for the first time,” said Tom O’Connor,president of M & N Management Co., managing member ofMaritimes.

The announcement is the latest development in the race betweenBangor and CMP Natural Gas to be the dominant distributor in whatmany people think is the last frontier for gas service. CMP, whichis a partnership between Energy East (formerly NYSEG) and CentralMaine Power Group, made a key move last May, when it startedserving customers in Windham, ME with gas from the Portland NaturalGas Transmission system.

CMP is targeting communities in Bethel, greater Bangor,Waterville, Augusta, Falmouth and Bath. Bangor Gas is developing alocal distribution system to provide natural gas to residential,commercial and industrial customers in the greater Bangor area. Inaddition, Bangor Gas, a partnership between Sempra Energy andBangor Hydro, is constructing a lateral pipeline to fuel BucksportEnergy’s gas turbine at the Champion International paper mill.

Both companies said they expect to take advantage of Maritimes’services. Maritimes started flowing just recently (see Daily GPI, Jan. 5). The billion dollar-plus, 800-milepipeline is owned by Mobil Canada (50.8%), Imperial Oil (9% of Sable),Shell Canada (31.3%), Nova Scotia Resources (8.4%) and MosbacherOperating (0.5%).

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