TransCanada Boosts Columbia Gas
Canadian pipeline TransCanada, which acquired Columbia Gas Transmission (CGT) in 2016, has placed its Leach XPress project in service effective January 1 and earned US regulatory approval for two other projects to enhance Appalachian gas transportation capacity on the CGT system.
Leach XPress comprises 257 km of 36-inch pipe, three new compressor stations and modifications to an existing compressor station. Representing an investment of $1.6bn, the pipeline can move about 1.5bn ft3/day and through an existing interconnection with the Columbia Gulf Transmission System and the Rayne XPress project, which was placed in service last November, will allow for the delivery of an additional 1bn ft3/day of gas to Southeast and Gulf Coast markets.
The two new projects approved by the US Federal Energy Regulatory Authority (Ferc) on December 29, TransCanada said, are the Mountaineer XPress (MXP) and Gulf XPress (GXP) projects. They represent a combined investment of $3.2bn.
MXP will deliver about 2.6bn ft3/day to the TCO Pool and Leach markets on the CGT system through 274 km of new pipeline, three new compressor stations and upgrades to three others. GXP, meanwhile, will move about 800mn ft3/day to Southeast and Gulf Coast markets, with seven new compressor stations and upgrades to another on the CGT system.
“Ferc's approval of Mountaineer XPress and Gulf XPress allows us to continue delivering on our commitment to create new outlets for our customers, transporting Marcellus and Utica shale gas to key markets in the US and beyond,” said Stanley Chapman III, TransCanada's executive vice president and president, US Natural Gas Pipelines. “Our project teams are prepared to begin construction on both projects.” Depending on receipt of the remaining regulatory approvals, MXP and GXP should be in service by late this year.