Transmission

Columbia Gulf Transmission announced it has filed a request withFERC for authorization to expand its mainline by 100,000 Dth/d toaccommodate requests of 19 shippers, 14 of which will be new to thesystem. An open season late last year for Columbia’s Mainline ’99expansion yielded requests for 315,000 Dth/d of firmtransportation, most of which will be provided with existing systemcapacity. About 12,000 Dth/d that was turned back by existingshippers also will be used to serve the new requests.

Midcoast Interstate Transmission’s efforts to continue itsmonopoly control of the pipeline transportation market in northernAlabama fell by the wayside last week when FERC rejected its twocontroversial project proposals citing disinterest on the part ofshippers.

Portland Natural Gas Transmission System (PNGTS) and Maritimes& Northeast Pipeline, L.L.C. (Maritimes) successfully crossedthe first major engineering hurdle in constructing their jointpipeline facilities, which represent the southernmost portion ofeach company’s pipeline system. The joint facilities eventuallywill bring more than 600 MMcf/d of Canadian gas to New Englandmarkets.

Texas Eastern Transmission’s proposed settlement professing morethan $260 million in customer savings over the next five to sixyears isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, state regulators and pipeline customers insist.

Texas Eastern Transmission (Tetco) on Tuesday submitted to FERCan offer of settlement that it insists will save pipeline customersmore than $260 million over the next five to six years.

Viking Gas Transmission formally dropped out of the VikingVoyageur partnership earlier this week and now plans to test themarket for a separate, smaller expansion of its existing system,VGT President Greg Palmer, a former spokesman for Voyageur, saidyesterday. VGT intends to hold an open season to collect customerinterest in the project this summer.

Viking Gas Transmission, a partner in the Viking Voyageurpipeline expansion project, formally confirmed it has been unableto secure sufficient shipper support for the proposed expansion andis “reviewing its alternatives” on the project with its partners,TransCanada PipeLines and Nicor.

Texas Eastern Transmission resurrected an old war horse toprovide additional service to PECO Energy and new service to MobilOil’s Paulsboro, NJ, refinery.

The Canadian inlet to the proposed Portland Natural GasTransmission System has received approval from the National EnergyBoard, in time for completion on schedule this Nov. 1. Titled thePNGTS Extension, the route will be built by Trans Quebec &Maritimes Pipeline Inc. from a connection with the TransCanadasystem in eastern Quebec at Lachenaie to an exit into New Hampshireat East Hereford.