Kinder Morgan seeks federal approval for Northeast Energy Direct Project

Kinder Morgan is seeking federal approval for its proposed Northeast Energy Direct Project. Through its subsidiary Tennessee Gas Pipeline (TGP), the energy giant has submitted a pre-filing to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), a voluntary process that will help the company to identify and resolve environmental issues before a formal application is filed.

The 36 in. diameter pipeline, which is set to cost over US$ 3 billion, would provide an additional 2.2 billion ft³/d of natural gas to the New England region, increasing transmission reliability and reducing dependence on coal and oil-fired generating plants.

If realised, the pipeline would comprise a 167-mile section in Pennsylvania and New York, and another 177-mile section between Wright, New York, and Dracut, Massachusetts, crossing nine towns in Franklin County, including Ashfield, Conway, Shelburne, Deerfield, Montague, Erving, Northfield, Warwick and Orange.

“It will enable New England to sustain its electric grid and lower energy costs to compete on a more level economic playing field with other regions of the nation with access to low-cost gas,” the TGP filing stated. “As a result of the fact that current natural gas transportation infrastructure is inadequate to meet the growing demand in the New England region, gas prices in New England are the highest in the United States.”

Construction work on the natural gas pipeline is scheduled to begin in 2018 and be completed by the autumn of 2019.

Edited from various sources by Rosalie Starling

Sources: The Recorder, CBS Boston, Gazettenet, The Berkshire Eagle

Read the article online at: https://www.worldpipelines.com/business-news/17092014/kinder-morgan-seeks-federal-approval-for-northeast-energy-direct-project-826/