Spectra Energy has more than 3.3 bcfd of US natural gas pipeline expansions under way, with another 4 bcfd of capacity in development. Greg Crisp, Spectra's director of business development, detailed the company's plans at the recent Platts Pipeline Expansion & Development Conference in Houston.
Projects currently under way include the New Jersey-New York Expansion Project, Texas Eastern Appalachian Market (TEAM 2014), Kingsport Projects, Ohio Pipeline Energy Network (OPEN), Algonquin Incremental Market (AIM Expansion), and Sabal Trail Transmission LLC.
The 800-MMcfd NJ-NY Expansion will extend Texas Eastern's reach further into New Jersey and into New York City for the first time, connecting Marcellus shale supplies in northeastern Pennsylvania with a delivery point in Manhattan. Customers of the $1.2 billion project include Chesapeake Energy Corp., Consolidated Edison, and Statoil Natural Gas. Spectra expects the project, currently 95% complete, to enter service next quarter. Construction includes 15.9 miles of 30-in. OD pipe extending from Staten Island to Manhattan.
TEAM 2014 (600 MMcfd) will deliver gas from Marcellus producer customers to the northeast, Midwest, and Henry Hub markets. Customers include Chevron Corp. and EQT. Spectra expects TEAM 2014 to enter service fourth-quarter 2014 at a cost of $500 million. Preliminary construction includes 33.5 miles of 36-in. OD loop at seven sites at four compressor units with a total 77,000-hp net addition.
Spectra's Kingsport projects will provide additional supplies to Eastman Chemical Co.'s power generation plant in Kingsport, Tenn. Spectra expects to have 25-MMcfd of expanded capacity operating by next quarter, with an addition 61 MMcfd in service by first-quarter 2015. The $120 million project includes replacing 5.8 miles of 8-in. OD pipe with 24-in. pipe on the East Tennessee pipeline and installing 5.4 miles of 16-in. loop and 4.1 miles of 16-in. pipe between the Fordtown compressor station and the Eastman plant.
OPEN will deliver 550 MMcfd of Ohio Marcellus and Utica shale gas to US Gulf Coast and east coast markets. The $500-million project is underpinned by anchor shipping agreements with Chesapeake Energy Marketing and another producer. The projects features 73 miles of 30-in. OD pipe the Kensington gas processing plant in the Utica shale to Texas Eastern's Clarington compressor station. A new 18,800-hp compressor station will be added along this line, with 5 existing Texas Eastern stations totaling 139,450 hp reversed to east-west flow. All components are expected to be operational by second-half 2015.
The AIM Expansion will move 300 MMcfd of Marcellus production from the Stoney Point compressor station to the Algonquin City Gate outside Boston. At an estimated cost of $850 million, Spectra expects the project to enter service second-half 2016 serving customers such as UIL Holdings, National Grid, NiSource, and Northeast Utilities. Additional horsepower at almost every compressor station and expanding portions of the line to 42-in. OD from 26-in. will provide the additional capacity.
Sabal Trail Transmission LLC is a joint venture of Spectra and NextEra Energy Inc. to deliver more than 1 bcfd via 480 miles of 36-in. OD greenfield pipeline from Transco Station 85 to the Central Florida Hub. Florida Power & Light is the charter customer, with others expected before the $3 billion project enters service first-half 2017. The pipeline will include five compressor stations totaling 210,000 hp.
Transmission projects Spectra has in development include:
- Uniontown to Gas City (U2GC), Appalachia to Midwest, 425 MMcfd, in-service second-half 2015.
- South Louisiana Expansion (Sola), expand Texas Eastern to South Louisiana industry, 600 MMcfd, first-half 2016.
- Gulf Markets Expansion, Texas Eastern to US Gulf Coast, 650 MMcfd, second-half 2016-17.
- Renaissance, Appalachia to Northern Georgia-Atlanta, 1.3 bcfd, first-half 2017.
- NEXUS, Appalachia to Eastern Canada local distribution companies and power markets, 1 bcfd, second-half 2017.