By the OGJ Online Staff
HOUSTON, May 31 -- Gulfstream Natural Gas System LLC Thursday broke ground at Port Manatee, Fla., for construction of the 753-mile pipeline that will be the first gas transportation system built to serve Florida in more than 40 years.
Slated for completion by June 2002, the $1.6 billion Gulfstream system will have 1.1-bcfd capacity. It will run from Mississippi and Alabama across the Gulf of Mexico to Florida.
Nancy Schultz, Gulfstream senior vice president and general manager, technical functions, said, "This is the largest pipeline project underway in North America."
It is designed primarily to serve Florida utilities and power-generation facilities.
Guy Buckley, Gulfstream senior vice-president and general manager, business functions, said, "Gulfstream will provide enough fuel to create electricity for an additional 4.5 million Florida homes."
Preparation for pipe laying started 2 months ago and will continue through June. Offshore pipe laying is scheduled to begin in early July. The construction vessels used to place the offshore pipe can lay up to 4 miles/day.
Onshore pipe laying is due to begin in mid-July in Polk County, Fla. More than 93 miles of pipe weighing 188,000 tons has been shipped from pipe mills in Florida, France, and Germany to yards in Alabama and Florida.