Northwest Natural Gas Company Planning Multi-Phased Expansion to its Mist Gas Storage Field

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Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources, Incorporated; Houston, Texas). Northwest Natural Gas Company (NYSE:NWN) (Portland Oregon) is planning to expand the surface facilities at its Mist underground natural gas storage facility located near Mist Oregon. In Phase I, Northwest is planning to expand the dehydration capacity, construct a one mile 10" diameter pipeline and install new withdrawal wells. In phase II, Northwest will further develop the field facilities and install a single 5,000-7,000 horsepower compressor package utilizing either an Allison 501-KC5 or KC6 turbine unit and an expansion to the existing compressor station or a stand-alone compressor station. The focus of the first two phases of expansion will increase the daily gas withdrawal capacity to 400 mmscfd from the present 300 mmscfd. Additional phases will concentrate on re-working depleted reservoirs for additional natural gas storage capacity.

Construction on the first phase of the $50 million project could commence as early as 2004 and the additional phases would follow in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

The additional compressor unit would compliment the two existing turbine units located at Mist, which include an Allison 501-KC5 turbine with a RB7-6B compressor installed in 1998 and an Allison 501-KC7 turbine package installed in 2001.

On the pipeline side Northwest has awarded the construction contract to Rockford Corporation (Portland Oregon) for 24 miles of 24" diameter natural gas transmission pipeline originating near the Molalla Metering Station and interconnecting with the Willamette Valley Feeder. Construction is expected to begin on the Southern Segment Project, once local permitting is completed in late 2003 or early 2004. In late 2004, Northwest plans to begin construction on the Northern Segment Project, which is a 38 mile 24" diameter extension of an existing 24" pipeline extending 28.5 miles south of the Mist Storage Field. Both pipeline projects combined with the previously completed 28.5 mile segment represent a total $90 million capital outlay on the pipeline side.

Northwest Natural Gas Company serves over half a million residential, commercial and industrial users in Western Oregon & Southwestern Washington through 15,000 miles of mains and service lines and has been is business since 1859.

Industrialinfo.com (IIR) has developed a comprehensive Natural Gas Compressor Station Database detailing over 1,300 compressor stations in the US & Canada, including the make & model of the prime mover & horsepower of each unit, date of installation, type of compressor, and station contact details for each station.