U.S. GAS PIPELINES CONTINUE TO EXPAND

Interstate pipelines continue to add capacity from major U.S. gas producing regions into fast growing markets on the East and West coasts.

Among recent developments:

Liberty Pipeline Co. (Lipco) asked for Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approval to lay a 500 MMcfd pipeline to serve customers in New York. Lipco proposes to lay 38 miles of 30 in. line-30 miles offshore and 8 miles onshore-from a receipt point near South Amboy, N.J., to a primary delivery point near John F. Kennedy International Airport on Long Island.
In a FERC filing related to Liberty Pipeline, Texas Eastern Transmission Corp. (Tetco) asked for a permit to construct pipeline facilities to transport about 275 MMcfd of gas, 245 MMcfd to Liberty Pipeline receipt points and 30 MMcfd to utilities based in New Jersey and Delaware. Tetco expects to spend about $330 million on the two projects to add 150 miles of pipeline and about 50,000 hp of compression in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.
With timely FERC approval, both projects are to start shipping gas Nov. 1, 1994.
Kern River Gas Transmission Co. completed a 95 MMcfd interconnect near Daggett, Calif., with the pipeline system of Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PG&E). It is the first direct connection between the Kern River and PG&E systems, allowing Kern River access to gas markets throughout California and PG&E access to supplies of Rocky Mountain gas.

STATUS OF LIBERTY

Liberty's 30 mile offshore segment would extend from Tetco and Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corp. (TGPL) interconnects near South Amboy and cross lower New York Bay to an offshore connection near Rockaway on Long Island with the 8 mile onshore segment.

Lipco is a partnership of subsidiaries of Transco Energy Co. with a 35% interest, Panhandle Eastern Corp. 30%, Coastal Corp. 25%, and a group of New York distribution companies including Brooklyn Union Gas Co., Long Island Lighting Co., and Consolidated Edison Co. of New York-a combined 10%.

Liberty Operating Co., a Transco subsidiary, will lay and operate Liberty pipeline for Lipco. The line is to be in service for the 1994-95 winter. Construction cost is estimated at $152 million.

John P. DesBarres, Transco chairman, president, and chief executive officer, said Liberty Pipeline shippers will have access to gas from every major U.S. supply area. Liberty will connect directly or indirectly with systems of TGPL, Tetco, ANR Pipeline Co., Panhandle Eastern Pipe Line Co. (PEPL), and Trunkline Gas Co.

Six shippers-Liberty's three New York distributor partners, New York Power Authority, KIAC Partners, and Nissequoque Cogen Partners-have signed precedent agreements for all 500 MMcfd of available firm capacity.

TETCO EXPANSIONS

Tetco wants to transport 245 MMcfd of gas to Liberty receipt points for the six shippers holding Liberty's firm capacity.

About 130 MMcfd of gas would move from Lebanon, Ohio, through Tetco's gas pipeline in southern Pennsylvania for delivery to Liberty at South Amboy. Tetco would transport the other 115 MMcfd of gas from Lebanon through its line in northern Pennsylvania to Transco's pipeline at Leidy, Pa. Transco then would redeliver the volumes to Liberty.

Tetco's Lebanon to South Amboy expansion includes:

Laying 11.7 miles of 24 in. pipeline, 12.74 miles of 30 in. loop, 45.57 miles of 36 in. loop, and 2.09 miles of 42 in. loop.
Adding compression at these compressor stations: 1,650 hp each at Somerset, Ohio, and Uniontown, Pa.; 11,000 hp at Holbrook, Pa.; and 15,000 hp at Marietta, Pa.
Building a new meter station near South Amboy.

Work on the Lebanon-Leidy expansion is to include laying 5.07 miles of 24 in. pipeline, 24.9 miles of 30 in., and 28.74 miles of 36 in., adding compression of 5,350 hp at Lebanon, 1,650 hp at Five Points station in Ohio, and 4,600 hp at Leidy, and building a metering and regulating station at Leidy.

To deliver gas into Liberty Pipeline, Tetco would have to increase Lebanon lateral compression by a combined 8,750 hp with work at Gas City, Ind., and Glen Karn, Ohio.

Tetco would begin transporting a combined 30 MMcfd for customers of Elizabethtown (N.J.) Gas Co. and Eastern Shore Natural Gas Co., Dover, Del., by adding 6.34 miles of 30 in. loop in Ohio, 13.59 miles of 36 in. loop in Pennsylvania, and 0.063 miles of 42 in. loop in New Jersey. As part of the expansion, Tetco also would modify a meter station in Middlesex County, N.J.

Tetco affiliates PEPL and Trunkline would deliver Elizabethtown and Eastern Shore volumes to Tetco.

KERN RIVER INTERCONNECT

Kern River installed its interconnect with PG&E at the point where its pipeline crosses PG&E's Line 300.

Line 300 consists of parallel 34 in. pipelines and has a rated capacity of 1.14 bcfd. It is PG&E's main transportation line for gas delivered from the U.S. Southwest by El Paso Natural Gas Co. and Transwestern Pipeline Co.

Line 300 receives gas at Topock, Ariz., on the Arizona-California line. It handles as much as 40% of PG&E's throughput.

The Kern River-Line 300 interconnect is a best efforts, interruptible delivery point.

Kern River is a 904 mile system from Opal, Wyo., to Bakersfield, Calif.