Williams said Friday — the first day of the winter season — that it has placed two expansion projects into service, increasing capacity on its Transco pipeline system by 260,000 Dth/d. Through its MarketLink Phase two and Leidy East expansion projects, the company has added firm transportation capacity to serve markets in the Northeast.

The two expansion projects supply enough natural gas to heat about 500,000 homes, or provide fuel for power plants to generate more than 1.5 GW of electricity, which can serve approximately 1.5 million homes.

“These expansions meet critical needs of our customers and represent an investment in the future and performance of this core asset,” said Steve Malcolm, CEO. “The Transco system has always been a positive contributor to Williams’ earnings since we acquired it in 1995.”

In total, the projects add 11 pipeline loops, totaling 63 miles, along Transco’s existing mainline system. In addition, the expansions also add 3,400 horsepower of compression at two existing compressor stations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in April 2000, MarketLink was constructed in two phases. Phase one was placed into service in December 2001, and increased capacity by 166,000 Dth/d (see NGI, Dec. 24, 2001). The just activated Phase two delivers an additional 130,000 Dth/d to the region.

The Leidy East expansion, which replaces the failed Phase three leg of the MarketLink project, was approved by FERC in October 2001 (see NGI, Oct. 29, 2001). The Leidy East expansion provides up to 130,000 Dth/d of transportation from Leidy, PA, to northeastern markets in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

“Williams’ Transco pipeline has provided reliable, economic gas transportation services to the Northeast for more than 50 years,” said Doug Whisenant, president of Williams’ natural gas pipeline business. “These expansions will help meet the growing needs of traditional utility, residential and industrial customers, as well as the region’s increasing number of gas-fired power generation facilities.”

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