Golden Pass Pipeline LLC has modified its natural gas pipeline expansion to reflect a switch in the natural gas pipelines that would supply the Golden Pass LNG Terminal LLC facility, according to a filing submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Golden Pass Pipeline asked for authorization to modify and relocate gas transportation facilities that had been approved by the commission in December 2016. Among the changes, the pipeline company would cancel Kinder Morgan Inc.'s Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co. as an input source and establish a new connection with the proposed interstate pipeline to be built and operated by Enable Midstream Partners LP's Enable Gulf Run Transmission LLC.
"None of these proposed changes affect the quantities, rates or services that Golden Pass Pipeline would provide," Golden Pass Pipeline said in its May 13 application for the compression relocation and modification project. "The changes simply reflect the further development of upstream supply arrangements for the Golden Pass LNG terminal."
Golden Pass Pipeline, owned by affiliates of Qatar Petroleum International Ltd. and Exxon Mobil Corp., asked FERC to approve the amendment to its 2016 Natural Gas Act certificate by Oct. 1 to let it stay on its construction schedule and start service by the fourth quarter of 2022.
"The requested approval date is particularly important to allow Golden Pass Pipeline to maintain its current schedule for construction of the facilities and to commence deliveries to the Golden Pass LNG terminal in a timely manner under the overall Golden Pass LNG export project schedule and to allow Golden Pass Pipeline to provide transportation service in a timely manner based on commercial agreement start-up dates," the company said.
In a footnote, Golden Pass Pipeline said it might apply later for other modifications connected to new supply arrangements.
Golden Pass Pipeline operates a pipeline in Texas and Louisiana that was designed to move regasified LNG from the Golden Pass LNG terminal to U.S. markets. In December 2016, along with authorizing the Golden Pass LNG export facilities, FERC approved an estimated $383 million expansion of the pipeline to move up to 2.5 Bcf/d of gas southward to the terminal for liquefaction and export. The expansion included three new compressor stations and about three miles of pipeline loop along the mainline.
Through the modification project, Golden Pass Pipeline would move an approved compressor station from milepost 66 to milepost 69 at the northern end of the pipeline near Starks, La.; increase the amount of compression at the relocated compressor station; add a meter station near milepost 69 to support an interconnect with the proposed Gulf Run pipeline; and remove any bidirectional piping modifications to the interconnect with Tennessee Gas, among other changes. (FERC docket CP20-454)
On Feb. 28, Gulf Run applied with FERC to build and operate about 134 miles of new gas transmission pipeline. The Gulf Run pipeline would provide gas transportation capacity of up to 1.65 million Dth/d between the system of Enable Gas Transmission LLC and the Golden Pass Pipeline system. Gulf Run has proposed to offer up to 1.1 million Dth/d of transportation service to Golden Pass LNG as a foundation shipper.