Authorization

Duke Energy Gas Transmission (DEGT) received National Energy Board (NEB) authorization to operate its expanded Fort Nelson natural gas processing plant in northeastern British Columbia. The expansion added 88 MMcf/d of processing capacity, bringing total capacity to 878 MMcf/d. The plant processes gas from fields in the Fort Nelson area, the southern Northwest Territories and the Yukon.

Duke Energy Gas Transmission (DEGT) received National Energy Board (NEB) authorization to operate its expanded Fort Nelson natural gas processing plant in northeastern British Columbia. The expansion added 88 MMcf/d of processing capacity, bringing total capacity to 878 MMcf/d. The plant processes gas from fields in the Fort Nelson area, the southern Northwest Territories and the Yukon.

Guardian Pipeline has received FERC authorization last Wednesday for modification of its planned 142-mile, 750 MMcf/d mainline from Chicago north to allow an interconnection with the system of ANR Pipeline. The original plan had been for Guardian to connect with Alliance Pipeline.

U.S. Rep. Robert Filner of California has called on FERC to rescind a Presidential Permit and Section 3 NGA Authorization for the U.S. leg of the proposed North Baja Pipeline while the agency re-opens its environmental review of the project to address the potential cross-border pollution from Mexican power plants that would be served by the natural gas line.

Kansas City, MO-based UtiliCorp United Inc. has asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for authorization “as soon as practicable” to re-acquire the nearly 20% interest in its natural gas and power marketer, Aquila Inc., that it sold to the public earlier in the year. Upon the completion of the transaction, the company plans to adopt Aquila as its corporate name possibly as early as the first quarter of 2002.

Although it harbored a few concerns, FERC last week gave certificate authorization to Cross Bay Pipeline Co. LLC of Houston last Wednesday to assume ownership of a 37-mile portion of Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line’s Lower New York Bay Extension and add 16,000 hp of compression in Middlesex County, NY, in order to boost gas deliveries into New York City by about 125,000 Dth/d. The Cross Bay project, first announced in January 1998, is estimated to cost $59.5 million.

Although it cited several concerns, FERC gave certificate authorization to Cross Bay Pipeline Co. LLC of Houston Wednesday to assume ownership of a 37-mile portion of Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line’s Lower New York Bay Extension and add 16,000 hp of compression in Middlesex County, NY, in order to boost gas deliveries into New York City by about 125,000 Dth/d. The Cross Bay project, first announced in January 1998, is estimated to cost $59.5 million.

Senate leadership canned an attempt by Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-OK) to force a vote on the adoption of energy legislation as amendments to the defense authorization bill. Inhofe had submitted Sen. Frank Murkowski’s energy bill and the House energy legislation (H.R. 4) as prospective amendments to the $340 billion defense spending bill.

The largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal in the United States just received authorization from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to become even larger. CMS Trunkline LNG will expand the peak send-out capacity of its terminal in Lake Charles, LA, this summer to 1 Bcf/d from 700 MMcf/d (see NGI, Feb. 26).