The Pacific Northwest region’s largest natural gas storage facility has completed drilling for expansion and upgrade by its operator, Bellevue, WA-based Puget Sound Energy (PSE).

The last of 10 new wells at the underground Jackson Prairie Natural Gas Storage Facility in Lewis County in southwestern Washington state was completed at the end of March. PSE said the remaining work on the expansion project, which began in June, will focus on installing new piping and compressors for the injection/withdrawal of gas.

Withdrawal capability on the $42 million project will be boosted 35% — from 850 MMcf/d to 1.15 Bcf/d, PSE said in an announcement, noting that the work will be completed by the start of the next heating season in November.

PSE said that with the expansion, Jackson Prairie will be able to satisfy the gas requirements of about 1.2 million households on the coldest mid-winter days, or what it said equates to more than a quarter of the region’s total peak gas demand. The expansion boosts overall peak-demand day gas supplies available by 10%.

Developed more than 40 years ago, Jackson Prairie, which is jointly owned by PSE, Avista Corp. and Williams Companies Inc., currently can store and redeliver 24 Bcf of gas. The overall capacity is being steadily increased with a target for hitting 30 Bcf by 2012, PSE said. The facility adds to reliability of winter supplies and helps stabilize gas prices, the utility said.

The expansion helps ensure reliability on the coldest winter days, said Kimberly Harris, PSE executive vice president for resources. “The existing natural gas transportation system on its own simply can’t deliver enough natural gas from Canada and the Rockies to meet our growing region’s peak wintertime daily demands,” she said.

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