Dominion Pipeline Expansion Would Aid West
Virginia Natural Gas Producers
In-service date targeted for November 2007, pending FERC approval
$15 million project to be built in Wyoming, Boone and Kanawha counties
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. – Dominion Transmission Inc., a subsidiary
of Dominion (NYSE; D), one of the nation’s largest producers of energy,
announced recently that it has filed an application with the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission to expand its pipeline system in southern West Virginia.
The TL-263 Expansion Project, which would be built in Wyoming, Boone and Kanawha
counties, would provide natural gas producers with increased access into Dominion’s
interstate gas transmission system.
The southern West Virginia area produces significant
volumes of natural gas. For the last several years, a lack of pipeline infrastructure
as well as constraints on existing capacity have caused difficulties for producers
in this region in delivering their gas to the market and, at times, has resulted
in shut-ins of production.
The TL-263 Expansion Project would provide additional
access by upgrading certain facilities on DTI’s southern West Virginia
system to create 21,250 dekatherms a day of additional capacity, nearly a 30
percent increase over current capacity.
Specifically, DTI proposes to replace
six sections of Line TL-263 to increase its capability. The company also proposes
to install a new line, designated as TL-570, which will be parallel to its
TL-263 transmission pipeline. The new line would consist of 6.43 miles of 12-inch
pipe beginning near Pond Fork and heading north toward Chelyan in Boone County.
In addition, DTI proposes to modify portions of its Loup Creek Station to accept
the additional supplies from local natural gas producers.
Assuming FERC approval,
construction is planned for next summer, with an in-service date of November
2007. The TL-263 project is expected to cost about $15 million. DTI is considering
additional modifications to TL-263 in the future. This would enable additional
gas production from southern West Virginia to reach markets throughout the
East.
Dominion Transmission operates 7,800 miles of natural
gas transmission lines stretching from Ohio through the Eastern and Mid-Atlantic
states. It also operates one of the nation’s largest underground natural
gas storage systems with more than 950 billion cubic feet of storage capacity.
Dominion
has an energy portfolio of about 28,100 megawatts of generation, about 6.6
trillion cubic feet equivalent of proved natural gas reserves, and retail energy
customers in 11 states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company’s
Web site at www.dom.com.
