Southern Natural Gas and Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Corp. have asked FERC for the go-ahead to put their respective pipeline expansions in service by Nov. 1.

Southern Natural is seeking clearance to place into operation the so-called Phase 1A facilities of its South System Expansion II, which include 24 miles of 30- to 36-inch pipeline looping in Alabama and Mississippi. The new facilities would provide 97,950 Mcf/d of firm transportation service to one customer, Southern Company Services.

This part of the project was severed from Phase 1 of South System Expansion II after Southern Company Services notified the El Paso-owned pipeline that it would not need the transportation service until Nov. 1 of this year.

Phase One of the expansion went into service in early September. That phase added 67.8 miles of pipeline looping and 51,650 horsepower (hp) of new compression to Southern Natural’s 8,200-mile, 2.83 Bcf/d delivery system that extends from Texas to Florida and Georgia. The facilities provide 191,845 Mcf/d of gas to eight customers.

Phase Two of the project, which is expected to be completed in May 2004, calls for the construction of 46.4 miles of pipeline looping and the addition of 13,010 hp of compression, creating 138,046 Mcf/d of added pipe capacity.

The entire expansion, which will add 114 miles of pipeline looping and 330 MMcf/d of capacity when completed, is targeted at markets in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi.

Transco informed FERC staff that its Trenton Woodbury expansion is ready for service. It has asked the agency to issue a “written authorization” by Oct. 30 to “ensure a timely and orderly transition from construction to in service.”

The project includes a 7.17-mile, 36-inch diameter pipeline loop of the pipeline’s existing Trenton Woodbury Line in Mercer and Burlington counties, NJ. The facilities were designed to provide an additional 51,037 Dth/d of gas and delivery flexibility to two existing Transco firm transportation customers, PECO Energy Co. and Virginia Power Energy Marketing Inc.

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