Williams’ Northwest Pipeline and BC Hydro have announced a jointventure to study the feasibility of building an 85-mileinternational pipeline extension from Sumas, WA, to VancouverIsland, BC, to serve two proposed new cogeneration plants on theisland. It would be a three-year, $120 million project to transportabout 100 MMcf/d for the cogeneration plants and additionalindustrial loads on both sides of the international border.

Although it’s in the early stages, the Georgia Strait Crossingalready has its own site on the World Wide Web(www.georgiastrait.twc.com). Site visitors can read about gaspipelines, safety, environmental and regulatory issues and how muchin local taxes Williams pays. Project backers appear to be strivingto be proactive in landowner communication particularly because oftwo fairly recent explosions in the Northwest Washington statearea, one natural gas in 1997 and the most recent one in June apetroleum products line blast that killed three people.

The Georgia Strait Crossing is planned as a joint venture fornow, according to Williams officials, but that doesn’t precludeanother equity partner. Formal contracts between Williams and BCHydro are expected to be worked out in the next six months.Mid-year 2000 is the target for regulatory filings to both FERC andthe National Energy Board.

An initial open season, as required by FERC, may be conducted asearly as this December to gauge potential customer interest,Williams’ officials said. Start-up for the project is estimated tobe November 2002.

Initial planning calls for a 16-inch-diameter pipeline extendingfrom its Northwest’s current pipe at Sumas, WA, 33 miles onshore inthe U.S. to the industrialized waterfront near Cherry Point, WA;then going underwater 44 miles to Vancouver Island and another 8miles to a point near Shawnigan Lake on the Island where the two250 MW cogeneration plants would be located (one is underconstruction and the other is proposed). The pipeline wouldinterconnect with Vancouver’s local LDC, Centra Gas, at this point.Centra Gas already has a 130 MMcf/d pipeline serving the island butthat line cannot accommodate the new load.

As part of the open season, Williams hopes to pick up otherpotential industrial customers on both sides of the border. Theload for the two cogeneration plants is estimated at about 81MMcf/d. The initial design capacity of 100 MMcf/d assumes that theopen seasons don’t yield additional load, a Williams manager said.Williams’ engineering staff calls the project “easily expandable.”

“A large portion of supplies could be sourced out of BritishColumbia and from the Rocky Mountains, BC, Alberta and San JuanBasin through Northwest,” said Hank Henry, Williams GasPipeline-West business development manager for the project.”Physically, the molecules will come from Canada, butcontractually, the supplies could come from multiple sources.”

Richard Nemec, Los Angeles

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