Mile

Williams’ Northwest Pipeline and BC Hydro have announced a jointventure to study the feasibility of building an 85-mileinternational pipeline extension from Sumas, WA, to VancouverIsland, BC, to serve two proposed new cogeneration plants on theisland. It would be a three-year, $120 million project to transportabout 100 MMcf/d for the cogeneration plants and additionalindustrial loads on both sides of the international border.

TransCanada PipeLines Ltd. of Calgary, Alberta, completedEnerg¡a Mayakan, a $266 million, 435-mile gas pipeline in Mexico’sYucatan peninsula. The pipeline is expected to go into commercialoperation by the end of September.

KN Energy began an open season for its a 108-mile, 24-inchMonterrey Pipeline that would connect its MidCon Texas intrastatepipeline in Starr County, TX, to Monterrey, Mexico. The open seasonbegan yesterday and runs through 5 p.m. CDT July 30.

Midcoast Energy Resources said Midcoast del Bajio has beenawarded a permit by the Mexican Energy Regulatory Commission tobuild a 59-mile, 16-inch diameter gas pipeline in the Bajio regionin the state of Guanajuato in central Mexico. The line will runfrom an interconnection with a Pemex near Valtierrilla to Leon andwill provide gas transportation services to parts of central Mexicothat currently do not have access to gas. Midcoast del Bajio willhold an open season from July 16 to July 26 for firm transportationcapacity on the proposed pipeline. And a series of informationalmeetings will be held jointly with Pemex to answer questions frompotential transportation customers and other interested parties.The meetings will be held on June 24 in Irapuato, Guanajuato at theHotel Parador del Rio and on June 25 in Leon, Guanajuato at theFiesta Americana Hotel.

KN Energy signed Nicor Gas of Illinois up for 300 MMcf/d ofcapacity on its Horizon Pipeline and began an open season for theproject.

Sempra Energy International said it began construction on a23-mile, $35 million pipeline running from California to Mexicolast week, adding to the already-extensive activity the company isinvolved in south of the border. The 300 MMcf/d pipeline isscheduled to begin service to the Presidente Juarez power stationat Rosarito, Baja California by December.

The Mexican Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) awarded thelicense to build and operate a gas distribution system in the LaLaguna-Durango geographic zone in north-central Mexico toDistribuidora de Gas Natural de La Laguna-Durango S. de R.L. deC.V. (DGN), wholly owned by San Diego-based Sempra EnergyInternational.

Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline officials began constructionof the 203-mile mainline that will extend from outside theU.S.-Canada border near Baileyville, ME, to Westbrook, ME.Maritimes and its Canadian affiliate will transport gas from theSable Offshore Energy Project off the coast of Nova Scotia tomarkets in Atlantic Canada and the Northeast U.S. Constructionbegins with the clearing and grading of the right-of-way along thedesignated route followed thereafter by ditching and pipeinstallation. Earlier this year, Maritimes successfully completedthe horizontal directional drill crossings of the Androscoggin andSt. Croix Rivers.

Mississippi Canyon Gas Pipeline last week won FERC’s blessingfor a firm capacity expansion to 800 MMcf/d from 600 MMcf/d.Mississippi Canyon — formerly Shell Gas Pipeline — operates a45-mile dual-phase line from the West Delta Block 143 “A” platformon the Outer Continental Shelf offshore Louisiana to terminus nearthe Venice Gas Plant in Plaquemines Parish onshore in Louisiana.The capacity increase is to come from establishing maximum receiptand delivery point pressures and installation of additionalmetering facilities on the pipeline’s existing system at the Veniceplant delivery point.