Williams said Wednesday that it has completed the first phase of the Transco pipeline system’s MarketLink expansion project, which will provide much needed incremental natural gas transportation capacity into the northeastern United States. The company added that this project represents the first interstate pipeline expansion completed to serve the New York metropolitan area since 1992.

“Williams Gas Pipeline-Transco has provided reliable, economic gas transportation services to the Northeast for over 50 years and is committed to meeting the growing energy requirements in the region,” said Gary Lauderdale, senior vice president and general manager, Williams’ Transco pipeline. “This area, which includes Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, continues to experience a need for additional natural gas to serve residential, commercial and power generation facilities. MarketLink will help meet this need.”

The MarketLink project, which received the go-ahead from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on April 26, 2000, is being constructed in two phases (see Daily GPI, Dec.14). The first phase was completed and entered into service on Wednesday. It will deliver an incremental 166,000 Dth/d of natural gas. The second phase of the project, which will be placed in service in November 2002, will deliver an additional 130,000 Dth/d to the region.

“Phase 1 of MarketLink will provide much needed capacity to the region in time for the winter heating season,” said Mario DiCocco, Williams’ Transco pipeline director of operations for the Princeton division, which covers New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. “We will begin construction of Phase II next spring.”

Williams pointed out that there are more than a dozen new gas-fueled power plants currently in the permitting process in New Jersey alone. Gas transported by MarketLink is expected to fuel new efficient power plants that are needed to meet the region’s growing electricity needs and help meet Clean Air Act standards.

©Copyright 2001 Intelligence Press Inc. All rights reserved. The preceding news report may not be republished or redistributed, in whole or in part, in any form, without prior written consent of Intelligence Press, Inc.