Vector Pipeline LP reported late Tuesday that a new interconnect between its pipeline and the Northern Indiana Public Service Co. (NIPSCO) has been established and put into service at Crown Point, IN. The new interconnect offers natural gas customers in the region access to an additional 600 MMcf/d transportation capacity.

The company said the Crown Point interconnect is the first of two planned interconnections serving the northern Indiana area between the Vector mainline and NIPSCO. “The new Crown Point connection continues our roll-out of service under an interconnection agreement signed this year with NIPSCO,” said Craig Fishbeck, Vector president. “These interconnects will allow markets behind NIPSCO direct access to natural gas supplies at the Chicago Hub and to storage in southeastern Michigan and southwestern Ontario.”

The second Vector/NIPSCO connection has a design capacity of 150 MMcf/d. It will intersect with facilities near La Porte, IN, and is expected to be completed and providing service to the NIPSCO system in mid-December.

“The new Vector interconnections offer NIPSCO and its customers substantially increased supplies of natural gas from Gulf, Southwestern U.S. and Canadian markets at competitive prices,” said Robert Schacht, NIPSCO COO. “This new supply of natural gas will allow our customers to grow in Northern Indiana as well as provide increased pressure support to NIPSCO’s transmission system.”

The 42-inch Vector Pipeline transports Western Canadian natural gas from the Chicago market hub in Joliet, IL, to the hub at Dawn, ON, providing access to markets and storage in the upper Midwest.

Vector Pipeline is a partnership of Calgary-based Enbridge Inc. (45% interest), Westcoast Energy Inc. of Vancouver (30%), and Detroit-based DTE Energy Co. (25%). Information about the partnership is available on the web at www.vector-pipeline.com.

Merrillville, IN-based NIPSCO is one of the 10 energy distribution companies of NiSource Inc. The company has approximately 700,000 natural gas customers and 430,000 electric customers across the northern third of Indiana.

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