Rockies gas pipeline open season to start; route changed
By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, May 5 -- Alliance Pipeline Inc. and Questar Overthrust Pipeline Co. plan to launch a binding open season May 12 to assess interest in shipping natural gas on the companies' proposed Rockies Alliance Pipeline.
They have altered the planned route. Based on discussions with shippers, the proposed route now runs from Wamsutter, Wyo., to Ventura, Iowa. The initial route when the pipeline was announced Mar. 25, 2008, was from Wamsutter to the US-Canada border at the northwest corner of Minnesota.
As reproposed, Rockies Alliance will be a 900-mile, 42-in., 1.2 bcfd system expandable to 1.8 bcfd. The open season ends June 16.
Rockies Alliance would allow shippers to transport gas from the Greater Green River, Piceance, and Powder River basins to Midwestern and eastern markets. It would connect with Alliance Pipeline and Northern Natural Gas at Ventura.
Questar said its Overthrust pipeline can be expanded at low cost to connect multiple receipt points between Opal, Wyo., and Wamsutter. In a separate open season, Overthrust Pipeline is proposing to add as much as 1 bcfd of incremental capacity from Opal to Wamsutter and construct the proposed new White River lateral from the White River hub at Meeker, Colo., in the Piceance basin, to Wamsutter.
With minor modifications, Alliance can enhance downstream capacity on its system, which connects to the Guardian, Vector, Peoples, Nicor, ANR, NGPL, and Midwestern systems.
Rockies Alliance would compete with TransCanada's proposed Pathfinder pipeline from Wamsutter to a connection with Northern Border in North Dakota (OGJ, Apr. 18, 2008, Newsletter).
Subject to obtaining shipper commitments and regulatory approvals, Rockies Alliance could be in service as early as third-quarter 2011.
Alliance Pipeline LP (Alliance USA), which owns the US portion of the Alliance Pipeline system, is owned by affiliates of Enbridge Inc. and Fort Chicago Energy Partners LP, 50% each.
Alliance Pipeline LP (Alliance Canada), which owns the Canadian portion of the Alliance Pipeline system is comprised of affiliates of Enbridge Income Fund and Fort Chicago Energy Partners, 50% each.
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