Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America (NGPL) said it successfully extended existing firm transportation and storage contracts with CenterPoint Energy in Minnesota and will add pipeline compression and other facilities at an existing connection with Northern Natural as part of the deal. The contracts, which provide CenterPoint with 270,000 Dth/d of firm transportation and 15 Bcf of firm storage, were due to expire next April.

To help facilitate deliveries to CenterPoint, NGPL will be adding infrastructure and installing new compression that will provide firm deliveries of 100,000 Dth/d into the Northern Natural Gas system at an existing interconnect in Mills County, IA. The long-term contract with CenterPoint covers all of the resulting capacity from the new facilities. Pending regulatory approval, the facilities are expected to be available for service on Dec. 1, 2007.

“The contract extension will help ensure reliable supplies of natural gas for CenterPoint Energy utility customers in Minnesota and further demonstrates NGPL’s continuing success of renewing contracts with existing shippers,” said Scott Parker, president of KMI’s Natural Gas Pipelines group. He said the agreement continues NGPL’s long relationship with one of its largest customers and provides NGPL with “stable, fee-based income.”

NGPL’s 9,800-mile pipeline can deliver up to 5.8 Bcf/d. The system is the largest gas transporter to the Chicago market and has 243 Bcf of working gas storage capacity.

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