FERC gives go-ahead to NGPL to partly start service on Gulf Coast Southbound pipeline

Washington — The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has given Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America permission to place into service parts of its Gulf Coast Southbound Project ahead of schedule, to allow for 250,000 Dt/d of incremental capacity.

In a letter order Dec. 14, Rich McGuire, FERC's director of the Division of Gas-Environment and Engineering, granted permission for the partial start.

"Based on the information provided in your request, [NGPL]'s construction status reports, and Natural's photographic documentation, I find that [NGPL] has adequately stabilized the workspaces associated with the compressor stations and that restoration of the disturbed areas is proceeding satisfactorily," McGuire wrote.

The project, first authorized by FERC Feb. 21, was designed to enable the NGPL system to provide 300,000 Dt/d of firm southbound transportation capacity to Cheniere Energy's Corpus Christi Liquefaction in Texas, with another 28,000 Dt/d available to the market. The company had originally slated a March 1, 2021, in-service date (CP19-99).

NGPL on Dec. 2 asked FERC to allow a partial startup in mid-December. It was seeking to offer the capacity on its interactive website on an interim basis through Feb. 28, 2021. It also planned to use the capacity on an interim basis "for operational purposes and to mitigate any capacity impacts to existing shippers associated with ongoing construction activities," it told FERC in its request.

New compression

The facilities slated for startup include a new 10,000 hp compressor unit and auxiliary facilities at Compressor Station 300, and a new 15,900 hp Solar Mars 100 gas-fired compressor unit and auxiliary facilities at Compressor Station 301, in Victoria and Wharton counties, Texas. A third facility, Compressor Station 304, will be subject to a future in-service request, McGuire said. He noted that NGPL has committed to continued updates on restoration progress.

In an update filed Dec. 14, NGPL confirmed that Gulf Coast Southbound facilities at CS 300 were mechanically complete and ready to flow gas as of Dec. 7. It had previously informed FERC that CS 301 was complete and able to flow gas as of Dec. 2. At CS 301, it said "site grading is now 60% complete, gravel/seeding/mulching is now 50% complete, and final cleanup is now 75% complete."

The project is ultimately expected to serve Corpus Christi Train 3, which is ahead of schedule as Cheniere has recently identified a first-quarter 2021 commercial in-service date, well in advance of its original estimate of the second half of 2021.