Unocal Midstream & Trade (UMT) is holding a non-binding open season through Oct. 27 for 6 Bcf of natural gas storage capacity at its proposed Sabine Pass Gas Storage facility. Construction on the new facility, which will be located within Unocal Corp.’s terminal operations near Beaumont, TX, is scheduled to start in 2006, with operations underway by late 2008.

The Sabine Pass facility will be located on Unocal’s Big Hill salt dome structure, a state-of-the-art natural gas storage facility. Plans call for an initial 6 Bcf of storage capacity, with 200 MMcf/d of injection capability and 400 MMcf/d of deliverability.

“This open season will help us size the market demand for Sabine Pass Gas Storage capacity and provide us with information necessary to build sufficient cavern storage to meet the needs of our customers,” said Joe Blount, president of UMT. “The development of this greenfield natural gas storage project, much like our successful Keystone Gas Storage facility in West Texas, shows our commitment to establishing UMT as a safe, effective, and efficient developer and operator of underground natural gas storage.”

The facility will be strategically positioned to serve the proposed liquefied natural gas regasification terminals and current producers located on and offshore the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast. Proposed bi-directional interconnects to multiple pipelines in the Sabine Pass will provide access to the Texas intrastate and interstate natural gas markets, Mexican natural gas markets, and the Sabine and Houston Ship Channel industrial corridors.

Interested parties wanting to learn more about the Sabine Pass open season process or to obtain an information package should contact Michael Wilems at (281) 287-7491 (michael.wilems@unocal.com) or Rex Bigler at (281) 287-5513 (rbigler@unocal.com).

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