Tennessee Gas Pipeline (TGP), a subsidiary of El Paso Corp., has placed its Northeast ConneXion NY/NJ Expansion project into service. The new infrastructure includes two 30-inch diameter pipeline loops, additional compression, and storage deliverability upgrades that will help meet growing demand in the New York and New Jersey areas.

The entire project involves a series of improvements to TGP’s system in northern Pennsylvania and upgrades to compressor stations (12,000 hp) along the system totaling more than $39 million.

This project gives El Paso customer Public Service Electric & Gas Co. enhanced flexibility to withdraw greater volumes of gas from market-area storage (Hebron Storage) and transport 50,000 Dth/d of additional quantities of gas to its service area to meet winter demand.

“By increasing capacity downstream of our market-area storage, Public Service is better able to manage its peak demands,” said Steve Beasley, president of El Paso’s Eastern Pipelines. “This expansion demonstrates our ability to scale projects in a timely manner, capturing system efficiencies and building on them to meet both the current and future needs of the market.”

Construction on the pipeline looping began in July and was completed in November. A two-mile section of pipeline was placed in Bradford County, PA, and a four-mile section was placed in Susquehanna County, PA.

FERC approved the project in December 2005 along with a proposal by Tennessee and National Fuel Gas Supply Corp. to increase deliverability at their jointly owned Hebron Storage facility (see Daily GPI, Jan. 3; March 16, 2005).

Tennessee also has a Northeast ConneXion-New England project in the works, The project, not in the ground yet, would raise capacity on the pipeline’s system to the New England region by about 136,300 Dth/d. The project will require the installation of additional compression along the mainline in New York and Massachusetts to provide the increased capacity. A Tennessee spokesman told NGI that the project is still on track and the company expects the expansion to be in service for the winter of 2007-2008.

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