A Kinder Morgan Inc. and Southern Co. joint venture received federal authorization for a $240 million expansion project that will provide additional firm natural gas transportation capacity in Georgia from a new interconnection with the Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Co. LLC system.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved Southern Natural Gas Co. LLC's Fairburn expansion project in a Feb. 15 order. The project will add nearly 344,000 Dth/d of new transportation capacity to delivery points in Southern Natural Gas' Zone 2 and Zone 3 system.

Southern Natural Gas said it will acquire from Georgia Power Co. a roughly 19.7-mile-long, 30-inch-diameter pipeline lateral and build a new compressor station in Fulton County, Ga., as well additional laterals and meter stations.

Customers include Southern Company Services Inc., acting as an agent for affiliated electric companies and taking the biggest portion of the capacity at 325,000 Dth/d; the Municipal Gas Authority of Georgia; United Parcel Service Inc. for a compressed natural gas trucking center; the city of Austell, Ga.; the Southeast Alabama Gas District; and Interconn Resources Inc.

"Each of these customers has unique needs for this new capacity," Southern Natural Gas said in its application. "Southern Company Services is diversifying its supply portfolio and enhancing reliability to existing natural-gas fired generation of the operating companies on whose behalf it acts, including the combined cycle units at Georgia Power's Plant McDonough."

In addition to helping fuel Plant McDonough, Southern Company Services said the expansion would help provide firm transportation to Plant Greene County with year-round, cost-effective firm transportation service.

FERC gave Southern Natural Gas a positive environmental review in August 2017 after developers applied for federal authorization in February 2017. (FERC docket CP17-46)