Growth Projects: Eastern Market Expansion
On January 14, 2008, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a certificate authorizing Columbia Gas Transmission’s Eastern Market Expansion Project - an enhancement and expansion of existing Columbia Transmission storage, compression and transmission facilities in Ohio, West Virginia, and Virginia to help meet the growing need for natural gas storage capabilities in the United States.
The Need for Increased Storage Capacity
Natural gas supplies from Appalachia, the Southwest or other sources will be stored in the fields by our customers when demand is low. It is then withdrawn as needed, typically in the cold winter months. The fields will not rely on tanks or other man-made containers. Instead, gas will be stored in a depleted natural gas producing formation. The geologic formation, from which natural gas was originally produced, is self-contained and ideally suited for storage purposes.
Because the storage formations are deep underground, they provide an extremely safe and secure energy storage option. As one of the nation’s largest national gas storage companies, Columbia Gas Transmission operates 36 storage fields across its operating area. Columbia has been a major operator of storage fields since our first storage facilities were developed in 1936. Nationwide, there are more than 400 similar facilities. These facilities supply approximately half of the natural gas consumed in the United States on the coldest winter days.
Developing Existing Facility Sites
For this project, we will inject and withdraw gas from the storage fields using the same type of wells originally used to produce gas from the ground. The new facilities approved for this project will be at or near established natural gas facility sites. Some of the facilities involved in the project include:
Existing and new gas wells in Ohio and West Virginia. The Crawford Storage Field, located in Hocking County, Ohio, will have seven new storage wells drilled and seven existing wells reconditioned. In West Virginia’s Coco Storage Field, located in Kanawha County, three new storage wells will be drilled and seven existing wells will be reconditioned.
New compression in West Virginia to transport additional volumes of gas through the pipeline system. An additional total of 12,280 horsepower will be added to existing compression facilities at the Lanham Compressor Station in Kanawha County, at the Seneca Compressor Station in Pendleton County, and the Lost River Compressor Station in Hardy County.
Looping existing pipeline in West Virginia and Virginia. To transport gas to market, Columbia Transmission will construct a new 5-mile section of 36-inch diameter pipeline parallel to existing lines (“looping”) in Randolph County, West Virginia, a new 2.8-mile section of 36-inch diameter pipeline looping in Clay County, West Virginia, and a new 7-mile section of 26-inch diameter pipeline looping in Clarke, Fauquier and Warren Counties, Virginia.
Columbia plans to begin construction in April 2008 with the project in service in 2009.
If you have questions about the project, please contact us at 866-702-EMEP (3637) or by email to EMEProject@nisource.com.
