Williams Receives FERC Approval to Expand Transco Natural Gas Pipeline

The Williams Companies, which produces, gathers, processes and transports natural gas, has announced that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has approved a proposal to expand its Transco natural gas pipeline to serve markets in the northeastern US.

The Sentinel expansion project is designed to increase Transco’s firm transportation capacity by 142,000 dekatherms per day. The first phase of the expansion will provide 40,000 dekatherms per day as early as November 1, 2008, while the second phase will provide 102,000 dekatherms per day by November 1, 2009.

The proposal requires adding or replacing approximately 18 miles of pipeline at various locations in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, in addition to compressor facility modifications at Transco Station 195 in Delta, Pennsylvania.

Phil Wright, president of Williams’s natural gas pipeline business, said: “We appreciate the efforts of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and other state and federal agencies in reviewing this application. We are committed to continuing to work with the FERC, state and county permitting agencies and all of the stakeholders involved, constructing this project in a safe, responsible manner so that we can provide much-needed incremental natural gas capacity to this part of the country.”