FERC voted Wednesday to issue a preliminary determination on non-environmental issues for Williams’ Northwest Pipeline to abandon 268 miles of a 26-inch, 50-year-old pipeline on its mainline in Washington state, starting at Sumas on the Canadian border, and replace the capacity with looping and compression along a parallel 30-inch line (CP05-32).

Northwest proposed the $333 million project last November (see Daily GPI, Nov. 30, 2004) after the line ruptured twice, in May and December of 2003. There were no explosions, nor any injuries. However, the federal Office of Pipeline Safety and the Pipeline Safety Division of the state Utilities and Transportation Commission ordered the company to test and repair defective segments of the pipeline, which was installed in 1956. The government agency called for a comprehensive integrity assessment of the line.

The ruptures occurred about 70 miles apart and both were blamed on “near-neutral stress corrosion cracking.” The 268-mile segment was taken out of service after the ruptures and only 111 miles or about a third of the capacity was brought back on line last summer (see Daily GPI, June 16, 2004).

The 268 miles to be abandoned stretch between the connection with Westcoast Energy at Sumas and Washougal, WA. The replacement involves 80 miles of 36-inch looping for a 30-inch line in four sections and 10,760 hp of compression along the same pipeline corridor. It will replace most of the 360 dth/d of capacity. The old line will be removed after the new facilities are in service, expected by November 2006.

Williams said that all of Northwest’s transmission capacity to the south through Sumas and to the north through Washougal is reserved under long-term, maximum-rate, firm transportation contracts.

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