Pacific Gas and Electric said it completed a $40 million expansion of its Line 401, adding 14 miles of new 42-inch diameter pipe that increases capacity on the line by 180 MMcf/d to a mid-winter maximum of about 2.2 Bcf/d. The utility’s instate California pipeline expansion project was approved as a capital expenditure through the court adopted bankruptcy review process.

The project, completed nearly a month ahead of schedule, increases capacity on the Redwood Path, which brings Canadian gas down from Malin, OR, at the California border to customers throughout California. The expansion is comprised of two new sections of pipeline that were added in Shasta and Modoc counties in Northern California.

Since 1998, the Redwood Path has, on average, been operating at more than 95% of its rated firm capacity. This strong demand is driven by the path’s access to Canadian gas supplies — California’s preferred source of lower priced natural gas.

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