The Crude Oil Trader: New Pipeline Project Could Lower Natural Gas Transportation Costs to New York City

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

New Pipeline Project Could Lower Natural Gas Transportation Costs to New York City

Future natural gas transportation costs to New York City could be reduced with the expansion of the existing Texas Eastern Transmission pipeline from Linden, New Jersey to Manhattan, New York (see map above). On May 22, 2012, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the main jurisdictional authority over the construction of interstate natural gas pipelines in the United States, approved an 800,000 million British thermal unit (MMBtu) per day, or 800,000 dekatherms per day, expansion of the pipeline.

This project is slated to begin service in November 2013 and represents one of the biggest transportation service expansions in the Northeast during the past two decades. The project could have the following effects on the New York City market: reduce reliance on oil fired generators, enhance the reliability of natural gas supplies, and lower transportation costs especially in the winter. Spectra Energy secured firm transportation agreements for this expansion with these customers: Consolidated Edison (170,000 MMBtu per day); Chesapeake Energy Marketing, Inc. (425,250 MMBtu per day); and Statoil Natural Gas LLC (204,750 MMBtu per day).

map of Proposed New Jersey - New York natural gas pipeline expansion, as described in the article text