Ferc Allows Rover to Resume HDD Drilling
US regulator Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Ferc) on February 6 authorized Rover Pipeline to resume horizontal directional drilling (HDD) at the Mainline B crossing of the Tuscarawas River in Ohio.
The approval came after Rover, a unit of Energy Transfer Partners (ETP), submitted a new drilling plan for the Mainline B crossing and made additional adjustments to plans to monitor water wells in the vicinity of the project.
Ferc ordered Rover to halt HDD drilling at Mainline B on January 24, largely in response to complaints from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency about a January 10 loss of drilling fluid at the site.
ETP says it still intends to have the 3.25bn ft3/day Rover pipeline in service by the end of 1Q 2018. But consensus among external observers seems to suggest that completion could be delayed until near the end of 2Q 2018.