PNGTS asks to begin full construction of remainder of New England expansion

Houston — TC Energy's Portland Natural Gas Transmission System asked US regulators Jan. 21 for approval to begin full construction of the second and third phases of an expansion project that would boost access to natural gas supplies in the New England market.

Midstream operators have been seeking in recent years to tap growing Appalachian Basin production for use in the region. Because of insufficient infrastructure, the region has historically imported significant amounts of gas supplies from Canada via pipeline and from other countries in the form of LNG via tanker.

The Westbrook XPress project involves modifications to a compressor station and a metering and regulating station in Westbrook, Maine, at sites jointly owned by PNGTS and Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline. Added to existing capacity, the project is being designed to transport 124 MMcf/d of natural gas to demand centers.

PNGTS is one of only a handful of pipelines that deliver into the New England region, where markets have been historically volatile because of large fluctuations in regional demand and only limited options for upstream supply. Expansion of the Portland system provides more supply optionality, potentially reducing the severity of wintertime price spikes.

In its request to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for a full notice to proceed with construction, PNGTS said it recently received certain state and federal environmental permits for the project. FERC certificate approval was granted in June 2020. In-service is targeted for Nov. 1.

The 188-mile Portland Natural Gas Transmission System spans New England from the Canadian border to pipeline connections in New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts. The system is located among three major pipeline networks originating in Canada and the Southern US.