TransCanada Corporation's natural gas pipeline system Leach XPress came into service on Jan 1st. The $1.6 billion pipeline — which will supply gas to Southeast and Gulf Coast USA — had received approval from Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) almost exactly one year earlier.
The Leach Express pipeline is 160 miles long and has the capacity to transport 1.5 billion cubic feet/day (bcf/d) of gas.
FERC recently approved two more TransCanada pipelines, Mountaineer Xpress and Gulf Xpress, with a combined value of $3.2 billion. These pipelines will deliver Marcellus and Utica shale gas to key markets in the United States. With this, TransCanada now has the necessary approvals for all the major Appalachian growth projects associated with the acquisition of Columbia Pipeline Group.
The 170-mile Mountaineer Xpress has the transportation capacity of 2.6 Bcf/d, whereas the relatively smaller Gulf Xpress has a transportation capacity of 0.8 Bcf/d. During peak construction, both the pipelines will create more than 8,000 jobs.
Alberta-based TransCanada mainly focuses on natural gas transmission and power services. Its pipeline transports the majority of Western Canada's natural gas to growing markets in Canada and the United States.
img: www.transcanada.com
