Williams submits application to US FERC for Atlantic Sunrise pipeline expansion

Energy infrastructure provider Williams is seeking approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for Atlantic Sunrise pipeline expansion project.

Williams Partners’ subsidiary Transco has submitted an application to FERC for the expansion project, which will transport around 1.7 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day to markets in the Mid-Atlantic and south-eastern US.

Williams owns approximately a 60% stake in Williams Partners. The company’s net investment in the Atlantic Sunrise project is estimated to be around $2.1bn.

Williams Partners senior vice-president for Atlantic-Gulf operating area Rory Miller said: "Atlantic Sunrise is a vital piece of North American energy infrastructure needed to transport low-cost, abundant supplies of natural gas from the Marcellus producing region in Pennsylvania to hungry markets along the Atlantic Seaboard.

"Shippers have signed long-term commitments for the expansion’s entire capacity, which represents enough natural gas to serve approximately 7 million homes."

The Atlantic Sunrise project, which is expected to start services in the second half of 2017, will feature compression and looping of the Transco Leidy Line in Pennsylvania, along with a pipeline segment, dubbed the Central Penn Line.

It links the north-eastern Marcellus producing region to the Transco mainline near Station 195 in south-eastern Pennsylvania.

Further existing Transco facilities are being added or changed to enable gas to flow in two directions.

Transco provides natural gas to customers via its 10,200-mile pipeline network. The mainline of this network extends about 1,800 miles between South Texas and New York City.