[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 193 (Thursday, October 6, 1994)] [Unknown Section] [Page 0] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 94-24714] [[Page Unknown]] [Federal Register: October 6, 1994] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY [Docket No. CP94-791-000, et al.] Koch Gateway Pipeline Company, et al.; Natural Gas Certificate Filings September 29, 1994. Take notice that the following filings have been made with the Commission: 1. Koch Gateway Pipeline Co. [Docket No. CP94-791-000] Take notice that on September 22, 1994, Koch Gateway Pipeline Company (Gateway), Post Office Box 1478, Houston, Texas 77251-1478, filed in Docket No. CP94-791-000 an application pursuant to Secs. 157.205(b) and 157.211(b) of the Commission's Regulations under the Natural Gas Act (NGA) for authorization to install an eight-inch delivery tap, meter and regulator station to be used to deliver natural gas to Entex, Inc. (Entex), under the blanket certificate issued in Docket No. CP82-430-000, all as more fully set forth in the request on file with the Commission and open to public inspection. Gateway proposes to install an eight-inch tap, and construct and operate the appurtenant meter and regulator station near Westlake, Louisiana, to provide natural gas service to Olin Chemical on behalf of Entex. The facilities would be used to deliver up to 12,000 per day under a TF-1 transportation agreement between Entex and Gateway. Gateway states that the total cost of the proposed project is estimated to be $80,000. Comment date: November 14, 1994, in accordance with Standard Paragraph G at the end of this notice. 2. National Fuel Gas Supply Corp. [Docket No. CP94-802-000] Take notice that on September 26, 1994, National Fuel Gas Supply Corporation (National), 10 Lafayette Square, Buffalo, New York 14203, filed in Docket No. CP94-802-000, a request pursuant to Sections 157.205 and 157.212 of the Commission's Regulations under the Natural Gas Act (18 CFR 157.205 and 157.212) for authorization to perform construction on two existing delivery taps that provide service to an existing firm transportation customer, National Fuel Gas Distribution Corporation (Distribution), under the blanket certificate issued in Docket No. CP83-4-000, pursuant to Section 7(c) of the Natural Gas Act, all as more fully set forth in the request which is on file with the Commission and open to public inspection. National proposes to replace the 2'' regulator and the 4'' relief valve at the Arcade, Wyoming County, New York location with a 3'' regulator and a 6'' relief valve, within the pipeline right-of-way of National's Line PY. Additionally, National proposes to replace the \1/ 2\'' regulator and the 3'' relief valve at the Orchard Park, Erie County, New York location with a \1/2\'' regulator and a 4'' relief valve, within the pipeline right-of-way of National's Line K. National indicates the cost of construction for the two taps is estimated to be $27,000, for which National will be reimbursed by Distribution. National asserts the actual throughput at these delivery taps will remain the same: 1,500 Mmcf/year for the Arcade, New York location and 385 Mmcf/year for the Orchard Park, New York location. National states its FERC Gas Tariff does not prohibit the addition of new delivery taps. National relates that it has sufficient capacity to accomplish the proposed deliveries without detriment or disadvantage to its other customers. Comment date: November 14, 1994, in accordance with Standard Paragraph G at the end of this notice. 3. Texas Gas Transmission Corp. [Docket No. CP94-805-000] Take notice that on September 26, 1994, Texas Gas Transmission Corporation (Texas Gas), 3800 Frederica Street, Owensboro, Kentucky 42301, filed in Docket No. CP94-805-000, a request pursuant to Secs. 157.205 and 157.212 of the Commission's Regulations under the Natural Gas Act (18 CFR 157.205 and 157.212) for authorization to add a new delivery point in Carroll County, Kentucky to serve an existing customer, Carrollton Utilities (Carrollton), under Texas Gas's blanket certificate issued to Texas Gas in Docket No. CP82-407-000 pursuant to Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act, all as more fully set forth in the request that is on file with the Commission and open to public inspection. Texas Gas states that the new delivery point will enable Carrollton to provide natural gas service to a new industrial customer, Gallatin Steel, as well as accommodate additional load growth in the area. The proposed delivery point, to be known as the Carrollton #2 Delivery Point, will be located on Texas Gas's No. 1 and No. 2 main lines near Wright's Ridge Road in Carroll County, Kentucky. The estimated maximum annual quantity of natural gas to be delivered to Carrollton at the new point will be 7,000,000 MMBtu, with a proposed maximum daily quantity of 28,800 MMBtu. Texas Gas states that service to this new delivery point will be accomplished within Carrollton's existing contract quantities and without detriment to Texas Gas's other customers. Comment date: November 14, 1994, in accordance with Standard Paragraph G at the end of this notice. 4. Shell Gas Pipeline Company and BP Exploration & Oil, Inc. [Docket No. CP94-808-000] Take notice that on September 27, 1994, Shell Gas Pipeline Company, P.O. Box 576, Houston, Texas 77001, and BP Exploration & Oil, Inc. (BP), P.O. Box 4527, Houston, Texas 77210-4587, referred to together as Petitioners, jointly filed a petition for declaratory order in Docket No. CP94-808-000, requesting that the Commission declare that facilities to be constructed on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) would have the primary function of gathering natural gas and would thereby be exempt from the Commission's jurisdiction pursuant to Section 1(b) of the Natural Gas Act, all as more fully set forth in the petition which is on file with the Commission and open to public inspection. Petitioners state that they propose to construct the MARS Gas Gathering System to attach natural gas produced from the Mississippi Canyon 807 Unit (MARS), produced by Shell Offshore, Inc. (SOI) and BP, to a point on interconnection with the existing offshore jurisdictional natural gas transmission infrastructure. Petitioners state that the MARS project would be located about 130 miles southeast of New Orleans in a water depth of 2,940 feet and is estimated to have approximately 700 million barrel equivalent of oil and natural gas reserves. Petitioners indicate that the MARS prospect was discovered in 1989 and is reported to be the largest discovery in the Gulf of Mexico in the past 20 years. It is stated that SOI and BP have committed $1.2 billion for the initial development of the MARS prospect. It is stated that phase 1 of the MARS prospect would be developed by installing a tension leg platform (TLP) which would be secured to the ocean floor by vertical tendons. It is also indicated that up to 24 oil and gas production wells would be drilled and completed from the TLP via sub-sea flowlines. Petitioners state that initial production from the TLP is expected to commence in the second half of 1996 and production is forecasted to eventually reach peak daily rates of approximately 100,000 barrels of oil and 110,000 Mcf on natural gas. Petitioners state that the system would consist of a 14-inch pipeline extending approximately 45 to 60 miles from the TLP to a shelf interconnection platform in the OCS area, Offshore Louisiana. It is also indicated that the project would also include certain related facilities, that may include one or more gas sales meter stations, a pig launcher and receivers, risers, slug catcher, sumps, drains, over- pressure protection facilities, gas and condensate meters and condensate pumps. Petitioners state that the exact terminus of the MARS Gas Gathering Pipeline at which the TLP would be located is still under evaluation and negotiation, with the petitioners intending to select an interconnection platform or platforms allowing connection to one or more pipelines in the South Pass and Mississippi Canyon Areas. Petitioners indicates that the design capacity of the pipeline would be 160,000 Mcf per day at an operating pressure of 1,650 psig. It is stated that the production would be separated and dehydrated on the TLP as this is necessary to prevent the formation of hydrates in the line, and compressed on the platform to a pressure which is sufficient to overcome the pressure drop in the proposed MARS pipeline as well as to allow the gas to flow into the downstream interstate pipeline. It is also stated that the gas may be processed onshore for the removal of liquids. Petitioners seek a declaratory order holding that the proposed facilities would have the primary function of gathering natural gas and would thereby be exempt from the Commission's jurisdiction pursuant to Section 1(b) of the Natural Gas Act. In support of its claim that the primary function of the proposed facility is gathering, Petitioners point out the following: (1) The length (45 to 60 miles) and diameter (14 inches) are comparable to other OCS facilities previously determined to be gathering, (2) the geographic configuration of the facility (a, straight line, relatively small diameter gathering line feeding production into an interstate pipeline) is consistent with other OCS gathering facilities, (3) preliminary separation, dehydration, and compression will be done on the MARS TLP, (4) the facility will be located entirely behind onshore processing plants, and (5) the facility would be owned and operated by companies engaging primarily in exploration, production and non-jurisdictional gas gathering activities. Comment date: November 1, 1994, in accordance with the first paragraph of Standard Paragraph F at the end of this notice. 5. Southern Natural Gas Co. [Docket No. CP94-809-000] Take notice that on September 27, 1994, Southern Natural Gas Company (Southern), P.O. Box 2563, Birmingham, Alabama 35202-2563, filed in Docket No. CP94-809-000 a request pursuant to Sections 157.205, 157.212, and 157.216 of the Commission's Regulations under the Natural Gas Act (18 CFR 157.205, 157.212, and 157.216) for authorization to abandon certain regulating and measurement facilities and change the operation of an existing delivery point for Alabama Gas Corporation (Alagasco), under the blanket certificate issued in Docket No. CP82-406-000, pursuant to Sections 7(b) and 7(c) of the Natural Gas Act, all as more fully set forth in the request which is on file with the Commission and open to public inspection. Southern states that it is currently authorized to sell and deliver natural gas to the Chilton County Gas District (Chilton) at the Chilton County Delivery Point (Chilton County), in Shelby County, Alabama, and to transport and sell natural gas to Alagasco at the Montevallo Point of Delivery, also in Shelby County. Southern states that, in October 1993, Alagasco acquired the distribution facilities of Chilton. It is indicated that the two above-mentioned delivery points lie adjacent to each other. Southern states that, since Alagasco now serves the distribution facilities behind both of these delivery points, Alagasco has requested and Southern has agreed to consolidate deliveries at these two delivery points so that all gas that is now delivered to Alagasco at Chilton County would be delivered to Alagasco at Montevallo. Accordingly, Southern proposes to abandon the measurement facilities at Chilton County. Southern states that, in order to accommodate the combined stream of volumes at Montevallo, Southern requests authorization under Sec. 157.212(a) of the Commission's Regulations to deliver gas to Montevallo at a contract delivery pressure of mainline pressure not less than 150 psig and to install a 3-inch rotary meter to have the ability to measure accurately the additional level of flow at the higher pressure. Southern also indicates that, to implement the change in contract delivery pressure, it requests authorization to abandon two 3-inch regulators at Montevallo which had been used to reduce pressure from Southern's mainline to the present contract delivery pressure of 75 psig. In addition, Southern proposes to abandon the meter station at Chilton County. Southern states that the modification of the Montevallo Station would eliminate the need to continue the Chilton County Station. In addition, Southern states that the abandonment of the Chilton County Station would decrease Southern's maintenance costs. Southern advises that the total volumes to be delivered to Alagasco after the request do not exceed the total volumes authorized prior to the request. Also, Southern indicates that the proposed activity is not prohibited by its existing tariff and that it has sufficient capacity to accommodate the changes proposed herein without detriment or disadvantage to Southern's other customers. In addition, Southern indicates that the changes in operations at Montevallo would have no impact on Southern's ability to serve its peak day and annual requirements. Comment date: November 14, 1994, in accordance with Standard Paragraph G at the end of this notice. Standard Paragraphs: F. Any person desiring to be heard or to make any protest with reference to said application should on or before the comment date, file with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. 20426, a motion to intervene or a protest in accordance with the requirements of the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure (18 CFR 385.214 or 385.211) and the Regulations under the Natural Gas Act (18 CFR 157.10). All protests filed with the Commission will be considered by it in determining the appropriate action to be taken but will not serve to make the protestants parties to the proceeding. Any person wishing to become a party to a proceeding or to participate as a party in any hearing therein must file a motion to intervene in accordance with the Commission's Rules. Take further notice that, pursuant to the authority contained in and subject to the jurisdiction conferred upon the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission by Sections 7 and 15 of the Natural Gas Act and the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure, a hearing will be held without further notice before the Commission or its designee on this application if no motion to intervene is filed within the time required herein, if the Commission on its own review of the matter finds that a grant of the certificate and/or permission and approval for the proposed abandonment are required by the public convenience and necessity. If a motion for leave to intervene is timely filed, or if the Commission on its own motion believes that a formal hearing is required, further notice of such hearing will be duly given. Under the procedure herein provided for, unless otherwise advised, it will be unnecessary for applicant to appear or be represented at the hearing. G. Any person or the Commission's staff may, within 45 days after issuance of the instant notice by the Commission, file pursuant to Rule 214 of the Commission's Procedural Rules (18 CFR 385.214) a motion to intervene or notice of intervention and pursuant to Section 157.205 of the Regulations under the Natural Gas Act (18 CFR 157.205) a protest to the request. If no protest is filed within the time allowed therefor, the proposed activity shall be deemed to be authorized effective the day after the time allowed for filing a protest. If a protest is filed and not withdrawn within 30 days after the time allowed for filing a protest, the instant request shall be treated as an application for authorization pursuant to Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act. Lois D. Cashell Secretary. [FR Doc. 94-24714 Filed 10-5-94; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6717-01-P