Williams Completes Transco Virginia Southside Expansion
Williams has placed into service a 100-mile expansion of its Transco natural gas pipeline to fuel new electric-power generation in Virginia and serve increasing local distribution demand in North Carolina. Transco is one of the largest volume and fastest growing interstate natural gas pipeline systems in the United States, with enough transportation capacity to serve the equivalent of more than 50 million households each day in North America.
The approximately $300 million Virginia Southside Expansion is providing 270 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) of incremental transportation capacity, which is enough gas to serve the equivalent of 1.6 million households, according to a Sept. 1 company statement. The expansion consists of approximately 100 miles of new, 24-in. diameter pipeline extending from the Transco mainline in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, and into Halifax, Charlotte, Mecklenburg counties, terminating in Brunswick County. Transco placed the majority of the pipe parallel to its own existing pipeline, alongside an existing utility corridor. In addition, Transco added more than 21,000 hp of compression at Station 165 in Pittsylvania County.
“From New York City to the Gulf Coast, we are executing on unprecedented growth on our Transco system as customers continue to seek opportunities to connect to long-lived U.S. natural gas reserves,” said Rory Miller, senior vice president of Williams Partners’ Atlantic-Gulf operating area. “As we work to connect the best supplies to the best markets, we are sharply focused on bringing these large-scale projects into service on time and on budget. These key expansions to our already premier infrastructure base are driving significant growth in our fee-based revenues and creating shareholder value.”
The Virginia Southside Expansion is part of $4.8 billion in Transco growth projects that Williams has previously announced it plans to bring into service between 2015 and 2017. Williams is executing on 15 projects in 10 eastern states to serve growing demand for natural gas to serve power generation, industrial and local distribution customers. Once complete, these projects will increase Transco’s system capacity by more than 57 percent.
Other major Transco projects Williams has placed into service this year include the Rockaway Delivery Lateral, the Northeast Connector, Mobile Bay South III Expansion and the Woodbridge Delivery Lateral. Later this year, Williams expects to place into full service Transco’s Leidy Southeast expansion.
Since 2003, Williams has invested nearly $2.4 billion to complete 21 expansion projects that have increased Transco’s transportation capacity by 52 percent to its current capacity of approximately 11.7 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d). Transco is a wholly owned subsidiary of Williams Partners LP, of which Williams owns 60 percent, including the general-partner interest. Transco delivers natural gas to customers through its 10,200-mile pipeline network whose mainline extends nearly 1,800 miles between South Texas and New York City.
Tags: natural gas, Transco, Virginia Southside Expansion, Williams
