WB XPress gas line east facilities begin service

Columbia Gas Transmission today began flows on the eastern facilities for its 1.3 Bcf/d (37mn m³/d) WB Xpress natural gas pipeline expansion in West Virginia and Virginia, bringing the full project on line.

The $900mn WB Xpress project is designed to provide a large amount of gas with a relatively small greenfield footprint. The project includes only 3.1 miles (5km) of new pipeline, along with the replacement of 26 miles of existing pipeline, new compressor stations and other updated facilities in West Virginia and Virginia.

The US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission earlier this week approved the project to begin service at the eastern facilities, and Columbia Gas in a filing confirmed that service began today. The facilities, which include a new compressor station in Chantilly, Virginia, will funnel gas shipments to the new Cove Point LNG facility in Maryland, which began service earlier this year. Antero Resources has capacity on the project, allowing the independent producer to flow 300mn cf/d to Cove Point. Columbia Gas today said its interconnect with Transcontinental Gas pipeline at Chantilly is now available for delivery nominations.

WB Xpress' western facilities began service of 760mn cf/d last month. That portion of the project is designed to ship Appalachian shale gas to a delivery point on Tennessee Gas pipeline's Broad Run system for transportation to the Gulf coast.