In re Equitrans, L.P.

• Docket Number: CP22-44-000
• Decision Date: 15 June 2023
• Citation: 183 FERC ¶ 61, 200
• Parties: Equitrans, L.P.
• Court: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

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183 FERC ¶ 61,200

Equitrans, L.P.

No. CP22-44-000

United States of America, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

June 15, 2023

Before Commissioners: Willie L. Phillips, Acting Chairman; James P. Danly, Allison Clements, and Mark C. Christie.

ORDER ISSUING CERTIFICATE

1. On January 28, 2022, Equitrans, L.P. (Equitrans) filed an application under section 7(c) of the Natural Gas Act (NGA)^[1] and Part 157 of the Commission's regulations^[2] for a certificate of public convenience and necessity to construct and operate the Ohio Valley Connector Expansion Project (Ohio Valley Expansion Project) in Greene County, Pennsylvania; Wetzel County, West Virginia; and Monroe County, Ohio. The project is designed to enable Equitrans to provide an additional 350,000 dekatherms per day (Dth/d) of firm deliverability on its mainline system and new transportation paths.

2. For the reasons discussed below, we will grant the requested authorizations, subject to certain conditions.

I. Background and Proposal

3. Equitrans,^[3] a Pennsylvania limited partnership, is a natural gas company, engaged in the transportation and storage of natural gas in interstate commerce subject to the Commission's jurisdiction. Equitrans' interstate natural gas system is located in northern West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania.

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4. This project is an expansion of the Equitrans' Ohio Valley Connector Project, which was approved in Docket No. CP15-41-000^[4] and is in service. The project is designed to enable Equitrans to provide 350,000 Dth/d of firm deliverability on its mainline system and new paths for transportation of natural gas produced in the central Appalachian Basin to local, mid-continent, northeastern, and gulf coast markets of the United States via existing interconnects with Rockies Express Pipeline (Rockies Express) and Rover Pipeline LLC (Rover) in Clarington, Ohio. Equitrans states that the proposed project will also increase long-term system reliability, efficiency, and operational flexibility, including for deliveries to the Texas Eastern Transmission, LP (Texas Eastern), Columbia Gas Transmission (Columbia Gas), and Eastern Gas Transmission and Storage (Eastern Gas) pipeline systems.^[5]

5. Generally, Equitrans proposes to acquire an existing compressor station from a third party, add compression at that station as well as at two of Equitrans' existing compressor stations, and construct about 5.5 miles of pipeline at various locations associated with the compressor stations.

6. Equitrans proposes to acquire the existing Cygrymus Compressor Station, which is owned and operated by an affiliate of Equitrans' and currently provides non-jurisdictional gathering services. Equitrans proposes to replace the existing compressor unit at the station and use the station to provide jurisdictional transmission services. Equitrans states that, following the Commission's authorization of the proposed project and prior to Equitrans' acquisition of the station site, the current operator will remove the existing compressor unit and associated piping and ancillary facilities. The pipe behind the station will continue to serve a gathering function. Equitrans states that EQT Energy, LLC (EQT), the unaffiliated anchor shipper for its proposed project, is also the shipper on the gathering system that currently includes the Cygrymus Compressor Station, and that EQT will not be negatively affected by the proposed project.^[6]

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7. In addition, Equitrans proposes the following expansions and additions:

a. Cygrymus Compressor Station Modification in Greene County, Pennsylvania: Equitrans proposes to install two Taurus 70 gas turbine-driven centrifugal compressors with approximately 22,032 nominal horsepower (HP). The Cygrymus Compressor Station modification will involve an increase of approximately 0.8 acres in the station's permanent footprint to accommodate the new units, but will occur in previously-disturbed workspace areas

b. Corona Compressor Station Expansion in Wetzel County, West Virginia: Equitrans proposes to install one nominal 16,399 HP Mars 100 gas turbine-driven centrifugal compressor. The Corona Compressor Station expansion is proposed to be constructed within the existing station limits; no new acreage is required.

c. Plasma Compressor Station Expansion in Monroe County, Ohio: Equitrans proposes to install one Titan 130 gas turbine-driven centrifugal compressor with approximately 23,497 nominal HP. The Plasma Compressor Station expansion will require a small increase of approximately 1.1 acres in permanent footprint at the existing station to accommodate the required compression assets.

d. Proposed Pipelines

1. H-327 Pipeline in Greene County, Pennsylvania: approximately 0.5 miles of new 16-inch-diameter pipeline that will be the suction line for the Cygrymus Compressor Station and will deliver gas from Equitrans' H-111 Pipeline to the inlet of Cygrymus Compressor Station.

2. H-328 Pipeline in Greene County, Pennsylvania: approximately 0.5 miles of new 12-inch-diameter pipeline that will be the discharge line from the Cygrymus Compressor Station and will deliver gas from the outlet of Cygrymus Compressor Station to the existing H-302 Pipeline.

3. H-326 Pipeline in Wetzel County, West Virginia: approximately 3.7 miles of new 24-inch-diameter pipeline that will be a new discharge line from the existing Corona Compressor Station and will deliver

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gas to the existing H-310 Pipeline (which transports gas to Plasma Compressor Station in Ohio). 4. H-329 Pipeline in Wetzel County, West Virginia: approximately

129 feet (0.02 miles) of 8-inch-diameter lateral pipeline off the H-326 Pipeline that will feed the existing Pickenpaw Interconnect with Columbia Gas.

5. H-330 Pipeline in Wetzel County, West Virginia: approximately 0.7 miles of 16-inch-diameter new mainline looping that will deliver gas from Equitrans' existing H-302 Pipeline to the existing H-306 Pipeline.

6. H-330 Spur in Wetzel County, West Virginia: approximately 480 feet (0.09 miles) of new 16-inch-diameter pipe, which will include a ball valve at the hot tap tie-in to the existing H-306 Pipeline and extend to the Liberty Valve Yard.

7. Logansport Spur in Wetzel County, West Virginia: approximately 160 feet (0.03 miles) of new 12-inch-diameter pipeline extending from the existing H-515 Pipeline to the existing H-306 Pipeline, which is a suction line to the existing Corona Compressor Station.

e. Ancillary Facilities associated with the aforementioned compression and pipeline modifications and additions will include:

1. a new Shough Creek Valve Yard in Greene County, Pennsylvania;

2. about 129 feet of 8-inch-diameter pipeline to tie in with the existing interconnect inside the fence at the existing Pickenpaw Interconnect in Wetzel County, West Virginia,

3. a new Liberty Valve Yard in Wetzel County, West Virginia,

4. an expansion of the existing valve and pig receiver site, which will contain: (1) one pig receiver for the H-326 Pipeline, which will tie in to the existing H-310 launcher, and (2) one pig launcher for the H-330 Pipeline, at the existing OVC Interconnect in Wetzel County, West Virginia, and

5. a ball valve tap tie-in that will connect the Ohio Valley Connector Interconnect with the existing H-302 Pipeline inside the fence at the existing Mobley Run Tap Site in Wetzel County, West Virginia.

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The estimated project cost is $167,510,106.

8. Equitrans held open seasons in April and June of 2021 to solicit interest in the project and simultaneously solicited turnback capacity from existing shippers. No offers to turn back capacity were received. Equitrans executed precedent agreements with natural gas marketer EQT,^[7] for 250,000 Dth/d, and producer HG Energy II Appalachia LLC (HG Energy), for 80,000 Dth/d, of firm transportation service for primary terms of 10 years. Equitrans proposes to charge its currently-effective Ohio Valley Connector System recourse rates under its existing Rate Schedule FTS-1 for firm service using the expansion capacity and to roll the costs of the project into its Ohio Valley Connector System rates in its next NGA section 4 general rate proceeding. Equitrans plans to place the West Virginia and Ohio project facilities in service in September 2023, with service on the Pennsylvania facilities (Cygrymus Compressor Station upgrades) commencing no later than June 2024.

II. Notice, Interventions, and Comments

9. Notice of Equitrans' application was published in the Federal Register on February 17, 2022.^[8] Antero Resources Corporation, Peoples Natural Gas Company, Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania, Inc., Ascent Resources - Utica, LLC (Ascent), EQT, HG Energy II Appalachia, LLC (HG Energy), and Sierra Club filed timely, unopposed motions to intervene.^[9] Comments were filed by: United States Representative Bill Johnson, the Greene County, Pennsylvania Commissioners, the Ohio Oil and Gas Association, EQT, the West Greene School District, Janet Robinson, John Semon, Jim Coster, Donald Spacht, HG Energy, James Frazier, David Smereczniak, Matthew Swearingen, Lisa Schwalbach, Shirley Desmond, Darrell Molinari, Dave Ball, Kevin Gaughen, the American Legion, and Ascent. On March 14, 2022, Rover filed a motion to intervene out of time; and on April 11, 2022, Rockies Express filed a motion to intervene out of time, both of which were unopposed and were granted by a notice issued on April 27, 2022.

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10. Representative Bill Johnson, the Greene County Commissioners, the Ohio Oil and Gas Association, the West Greene School District, Janet Robinson, John Semon, Jim Coster, Donald Spacht, HG Energy, James Frazier, David Smereczniak, Matthew Swearingen, Lisa Schwalbach, Shirley Desmond, Darrell Molinari, Dave Ball, Kevin Gaughen, the American Legion, and EQT support the proposed project...