Williams Files With FERC for Full Operation of Atlantic Sunrise Natural Gas Pipeline Expansion

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Industrial Info is tracking several pipeline projects in the Appalachia region to get natural gas to processing plants and to other U.S. markets. A few of these projects are wrapping up in the near future, with more planned. Among these is Williams Companies Incorporated's (NYSE:WMB) (Tulsa, Oklahoma) Atlantic Sunrise project, which will move natural gas from the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania to markets in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast U.S.

Williams has asked the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to begin full service on the pipeline as early as September 10. It asked that FERC approve the pipeline's operations by September 7 so that it could notify shippers.

The Atlantic Sunrise project is an expansion on Williams Transcontinental (Transco) natural gas pipeline system, the largest natural gas pipeline network in the U.S. In the application made last week, Williams said, "Construction of the remaining Project facilities is nearing completion, and restoration of areas affected by the Project is proceeding satisfactorily. Transco has informed the Project shippers that, subject to receipt of the necessary regulatory authorizations...it will be able to provide full service under the Project as early as September 10, 2018." Williams said the restoration of the overall project area was approximately 40% complete, but that cleanup and restoration of certain areas "has been constrained by adverse weather conditions throughout the spring and summer months."

The major parts of the $3 billion expansion include the 30-inch-diameter Central Penn South portion, the 42-inch-diamter Central Penn South portion and the "Grugan" Loop in Pennsylvania. The pipeline will transport up to 1.7 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of natural gas. Construction began in 2017, with Welded Construction LP (Perrysburg, Ohio) as the general contractor. For more information, see Industrial Info's project reports on Central Penn North, Central Penn South, and the "Grugan" Loop.

Another pipeline project in the Appalachia Basin approaching completion is Energy Transfer Partners' (NYSE:ETP) (Dallas, Texas) Mariner East 2 natural gas liquids (NGL) pipeline, which will carry NGLs from the Marcellus and Utica shales to destinations in Pennsylvania. Construction began 2017, and earlier this month, executives at Energy Transfer they expected the project to be in service this quarter. The accompanying Mariner East 2X project, which will follow the same route, is expected to be in service in mid-2019. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

In West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina, Dominion Energy Incorporated (NYSE:D) (Richmond, Virginia) and Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) (Charlotte, North Carolina) are underway with the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, which will carry gas from the Marcellus and Utica shales from West Virginia to North Carolina. Construction began earlier this year and is expected to be completed in late 2019. For more information, see Industrial Info's project reports on the West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina portions.

In Maryland, also considered part of the Appalachia Basin, and Virginia, Delmarva Pipeline Company (Baltimore, Maryland) is planning to construct a 36-inch-diameter pipeline that will carry up to 250 million cubic feet per day of natural gas. The project remains in the early planning stages, although it finished a successful open season earlier this year. Construction could begin next year if FERC approves the pipeline, with the aim to complete it in late 2020 or early 2021. For more information, see Industrial Info's project reports on the Maryland and Virginia portions of the pipeline.

Yesterday, Industrial Info wrote about natural gas production projects in Appalachia. For more information, see August 29, 2018, article - Industrial Info Tracks Billions of Dollars in Appalachian Basin Gas-Production Projects.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com.