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Rover Pipeline asks FERC to bring more facilities online

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Rover Pipeline asks FERC to bring more facilities online

Energy Transfer Partners LP's Rover Pipeline LLC filed a request with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission seeking authorization to place in service by Dec. 14 more facilities associated with the first phase of its natural gas transportation project out of the Marcellus and Utica region.

The Dec. 1 filing asked for authorization of the Berne, Clarington and Seneca laterals and compressor stations in Noble, Monroe and Harrison counties in Ohio and seven new meters. (FERC docket CP15-93)

Phase 1A of the project, which began service on Sept. 1 this year, offered only a small portion of the project's total upstream production access. U.S. Northeast production reaches the pipeline through two meters currently: the Ohio River System gathering pipeline and the MarkWest Energy Partners LP Cadiz processing plant.

The new Phase 1 facilities will expand supply access on the pipeline. However, downstream delivery meters capable of reaching markets outside of the Northeast will remain largely unchanged.

Rover currently delivers all of its volumes to two pipeline interconnects with the ANR Pipeline Co. and Panhandle Eastern Pipe Line Co. LP systems at Defiance, Ohio.

Flows on Rover have reached as high as 1.2 Bcf/d in early November, and averaged nearly 900 MMcf/d the past 30 days, but narrower spreads to the Midwest have led to significant declines in flows. Volumes on the pipeline have fallen to an average 528 MMcf/d since the start of December, data from Platts Analytics' Bentek Energy show.

The request does not state how much capacity the pipeline system will have once the Phase 1 facilities are in service. In an email late last week, Energy Transfer stated that the second mainline, Mainline B, is not included in their current definition of Phase 1 facilities, though it was initially included in earlier project filings.

Despite the modified scope, the request aligns with prior company statements that it would bring Phase 1 into service by the end of 2017. Phase 2 of the project is scheduled to enter service by the end of the 2018 first quarter.

Driving the variance in project timing is a restriction on several key horizontal directional drilling sites. Horizontal drilling on Mainline B was blocked by regulators in May this year following a series of drilling fluid spills. While FERC has re-authorized the majority of drill sites, several remain unauthorized. The service dates for the balance of the project facilities will largely hinge on the timing of the completion of those drills.

S&P Global Platts and S&P Global Market Intelligence are owned by S&P Global Inc.