Hatch Mott MacDonald Tapped for Northeast Energy Direct Project
The North American engineering firm Hatch Mott MacDonald will lead a regional team to provide engineering, design and permitting services for the proposed Northeast Energy Direct project in New England.
Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co. LLC (TGP), a subsidiary of Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP, selected Hatch Mott MacDonald to oversee the project, which includes interstate natural gas transmission pipelines, crossing parts of Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire, as well as new and upgraded compression facilities and related infrastructure.
Hatch Mott MacDonald will lead the project from its Holyoke, Massachusetts, office, with support from its other regional offices in Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania and others.
The team draws on the experience of many locally based firms to provide environmental assessment and permitting services. AECOM Technical Services Inc. will lead the environmental permitting process, and the team will receive support from other local firms including Epsilon Associates, Normandeau Associates, Oxbow Associates and the Louis Berger Group.
“Hatch Mott MacDonald has worked with Kinder Morgan for many years, and we are delighted to have been selected for the Northeast Energy Direct project,” said president and CEO Nicholas M. DeNichilo. “We look forward to applying our expertise in pipeline and engineering technology, along with our local and regional experience, to help make this project a success.”
The proposed Pennsylvania to Wright, New York, portion of the project includes the construction of approximately 135 miles of pipeline from the existing TGP line in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, northeast to the existing TGP line in Schoharie County, New York.
The project also includes the construction of 23-mile and 9-mile loops along the existing TGP line in Bradford and Susquehanna counties in Pennsylvania. This will include the upgrade of an existing compressor station in Susquehanna County and construction of two new compressor stations, one in Delaware County, New York, and one in Schoharie County.
The proposed Wright to Dracut, Massachusetts, segment would result in the construction of approximately 179 miles of pipeline, additional meter stations and compressor stations, as well as modifications to existing facilities in New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire.
The Northeast Energy Direct project is expected to be in service by 2018, subject to regulatory approval. Kinder Morgan announced July 30 that TGP has reached long-term agreements with local natural gas distribution companies throughout the region to transport approximately 500 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) of natural gas on the new system. Capacity could scale up to as much as 2.2 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), depending on demand.
TGP plans to begin the pre-filing process with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in September 2014.
Tags: Engineering, Hatch Mott MacDonald, Kinder Morgan, Northeast Energy Direct, Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co.
