FERC last week granted Tractebel Calypso Pipeline LLC an additional year to complete its proposed $132 million pipeline, which would bring regasified liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Florida’s East Coast from a proposed import terminal in the Bahamas.

In an order issued on Wednesday, the Commission gave Tractebel up to three years from the date a final certificate is issued to complete its 41.8-mile pipeline that would extend from an underwater interconnect at the U.S.-Bahamian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) boundary to delivery points in Broward County, FL [CP01-409-003]. FERC typically gives certificate recipients two years to finish their projects.

Tractebel sought the additional time to accommodate the Bahamian portion of the project. It said that while it expected to complete construction of the U.S. portion of the project (from EEZ boundary to Florida) in approximately 15 months, construction of an affiliate’s new LNG terminal in Freeport, Grand Bahama and the connecting Bahamian pipeline would take up to 32 months.

Tractebel further noted that construction of the Bahamian facilities would most likely not begin until after the Commission awards a final certificate for the jurisdictional EEZ boundary-to-Florida pipeline. The agency issued a preliminary determination on non-environmental issues for the U.S. leg in late April.

The proposed Tractebel project would include 36 miles of 24-inch diameter offshore pipeline facilities and 5.8 miles of 24-inch onshore pipeline. It would transport up to 832,000 MMBtu/d of gas to a connection with Florida Gas Transmission in central Broward County from a connection with a non-jurisdictional line at the EEZ boundary.

Tractebel, a subsidiary of the French water and energy company Suez, also owns the Cabot LNG import terminal in Everett, MA.

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