National Fuel Gas Supply Corp. received another extension from federal regulators to finish expanding its pipeline system in Pennsylvania through a project that would allow it to deliver an additional 133,000 Dth/d of natural gas to a petrochemical facility.
Through the extension, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission gave the National Fuel Gas Co. subsidiary until Nov. 11 to complete construction and put into service the Line N to Monaca project in Beaver and Washington counties, Pa.
FERC had initially required construction to be finished by May 30 but pushed that deadline back to Sept. 20 after the company sought an extension in April. FERC later amended the extension to Oct. 11.
In March 2018, National Fuel applied to FERC for the project, which is designed to move additional gas supplies to a Shell Energy North America (US) LP industrial facility in Beaver County. The project would include about 4.5 miles of 12-inch-diameter pipeline, a pipeline connection, a metering and regulating station, and modifications to existing facilities. The project would move the additional gas from a pooling point on the Line N system and an interconnection with the system of Texas Eastern Transmission LP.
National Fuel had anticipated starting construction in September 2018 to meet the targeted in-service date. But the project hit a bump in June 2018 when the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection said an application for a water quality permit was incomplete. The state's Department of Transportation requested that National Fuel also shift its pipeline out of the Interstate 376 highway right of way. The pipeline reroute needed new temporary workspace, landowner approval and FERC clearance of the variance request, delaying the start of construction by five months to February 2019. (FERC docket CP18-135)
