Rockies

Florida Gas Transmission ended Saturday an Overage Alert Day that had been in effect since the preceding Wednesday.

FERC Friday issued a certificate for the third and possibly final leg of the proposed $4.4 billion, 1,678-mile Rockies Express Pipeline (REX), which will transport Rocky Mountain natural gas to Midwest and eastern markets. The approval of the leg, known as REX-East, comes 10 days after the start-up of the entire 717-mile REX-West portion, which spans from the Cheyenne Hub in Colorado to Missouri.

A binding open season for service on the proposed Rockies Alliance Pipeline (RAP) will be held from May 12 through June 16. The project was announced in late March by joint sponsors Alliance Pipeline and Questar Overthrust Pipeline (see Daily GPI, March 26). The 900-mile RAP will move gas from the Rocky Mountains region to the Ventura and Chicago trading hubs in the Midwest. The sponsors said that based on discussions with prospective shippers following the project announcement, they have revised the route to better meet market needs. RAP’s proposed capacity is 1.2 Bcf/d with expansion capability to 1.8 Bcf/d.

A steady downpour across the Midwest this month has led to delays in starting up a portion of the Rockies Express (REX) pipeline and the Big Sandy Pipeline project.

Southern California Gas ended Monday a high-linepack OFO that had been in effect for the previous four days.

If Rockies Express Pipeline (REX) quickly files needed environmental information, FERC will be able to meet the pipeline’s request for an expedited final environmental review and certificate for its REX-East leg, said Chairman Joseph Kelliher Friday.

If Rockies Express Pipeline (REX) quickly files needed environmental information, FERC will be able to meet the pipeline’s request for an expedited final environmental review and certificate for its REX-East leg, said Chairman Joseph Kelliher Friday.

With the on-schedule opening of approximately 500 miles of Rockies Express-West (REX-West) under their belts, pipeline officials have set their sights on two more milestones in the epic project: reviving a long-shelved idea with Kinder Morgan’s Natural Gas Pipeline Co. of America (NGPL) to serve Chicago and opening REX’s Northeast Express.

Despite forecasts of frigid weather remaining in the Rockies and temperatures continuing to descend Friday in the Midwest, Northeast and South, the cash market’s upward momentum of the first three days in the week was arrested to some extent Thursday. Price direction was mixed but biased slightly to the downside amid quotes that mostly were less than a dime up or down from unchanged.