Spectra Energy Corp. planning to expand natural gas system

HOUSTON – Spectra Energy Corp., the second-largest American pipeline company, is seeking federal approval to expand a system to transport natural gas from the East Coast to markets in the Northeast.
Bloomberg News reported that the $380 million East to West Expansion Project will increase capacity on the Algonquin pipeline system by more than 746-million cubic feet of gas a day, Houston-based Spectra said last week in a statement. An application for the project was filed with the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
The project is scheduled for completion by November 2009 and will be able to transport supplies of fuel derived from liquefied natural gas, or LNG, Spectra said. Excelerate Energy last month received the first shipment of LNG at its Northwest Gateway LNG terminal near Boston, at the eastern end of the Algonquin pipeline system.
LNG is gas that’s been liquefied for transport by ship. It’s returned to a gaseous state at terminals and injected into pipelines.
The East to West Expansion Project includes the upgrading of three compression stations in Rhode Island, Connecticut and New Jersey. Firm long-term contracts with shippers have been secured for the expanded capacity, Spectra said. &#8226