The Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) project aims to expand the Transco pipeline system in order to increase gas supply in the north-eastern states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York regions in the US, where demand for natural gas is at all-time high.
The development is estimated to cost $926.5m and aims to supply an additional 400 dekatherms of natural gas a day to meet the daily needs of approximately 2.3 million homes in the region.
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Williams Partners subsidiary Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company (Transco) is responsible for the design, construction and operation of the project.
An approval application for the project was submitted by Transco to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in March 2017.
Construction is due to commence in 2018 once final approval is received, with completion currently scheduled for late 2019.
Northeast Supply Enhancement project overview
Consumers in New York and other US states are increasingly reducing their usage of heavy fuels, and are instead shifting towards the use of natural gas.
The Transco pipeline has been operating in the area for decades; however, it is currently operating at full capacity due to the newfound increase in demand.
The NESE project will supplement the existing system with new critical infrastructure, in order to allow more gas to be transported to the consumers across the north-eastern region of the US.
Additionally, the government aims to curb emissions in the city by 80% and phase out No. 4 fuel oil by 2030 to facilitate and encourage the shift towards natural gas.
Infrastructure and facilities of the pipeline expansion
The NESE will add approximately 37mi of new pipeline and a new compression station to the current Transco pipeline system.
The new network will include a 23mi offshore pipeline with a diameter of 26in in the New York Bay area, a 3.5mi onshore pipeline with the same diameter in Middlesex County, New Jersey, and a 10mi pipeline with a diameter of 42in in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
A 32,000hp natural gas-powered compressor station will be constructed in a remote 52-acre tract in Somerset County, New Jersey.
The facility will be named Station 206, and is set to comprise two Solar Mars 100 natural gas-fired turbine compressor units.
The compressor station will include a compressor building to accommodate the compressor units, a power control room building, an office / warehouse building, a small drum-storage building, a telecommunications facility and a communication tower.
Start-of-the-art emission control technology will be used at the compressor station to minimise emissions, along with leak detection and repair (LDAR) monitoring systems.
The project will also add a 21,902hp electric motor-driven compressor to the existing Station 200 in Chester County, Pennsylvania, and various modifications to facilities related to the existing pipeline will be carried out.
Natural gas for to the newly added pipelines will be supplied from Transco’s compressor station 195, which is located in York County, Pennsylvania.
Contractors involved
Transco appointed Mustang Engineering for pipeline engineering, and Ecology & Environment for the preparation of wetland surveys and resource reports.
Northeast Supply Enhancement project benefits
The project will provide reliable access to a critical natural resource, which can save consumers expenses compared to fuel oil and be distributed via a safe means of transportation.
The development is expected to help the displacement of approximately 15.6Mt of CO2 a year.
It will also benefit the economy in the form of new wages and creating new jobs for skilled labour and contractors.
