FERC certificate progresses Adelphia Gateway project

Adelphia Gateway LLC received a certificate of public convenience and necessity from the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission authorizing the Adelphia Gateway natural gas project designed to serve the greater Philadelphia region. The 18-in. pipeline covers portions of Delaware, Chester, Bucks, Montgomery, and Northampton counties in Pennsylvania. The company expects work to be complete and the project to be placed into service in 2020.

The project will convert 50 miles of an existing 84-mile pipeline from oil to natural gas (OGJ, Nov. 4, 2019, p.50). The northern 34 miles of the pipeline extending from western Bucks County to the Martins Creek terminal in Northampton County were converted to deliver natural gas in 1996. After the purchase of Interstate Energy Co. and the existing pipeline from Talen Generation LLC are finalized, the northern zone will continue to operate to serve two natural gas-fired generation facilities in Lower Mount Bethel Township, PA. Once all the necessary regulatory approvals are obtained, work to convert the lower 50 miles of the pipeline from oil to natural gas will begin.

Upon completion of the conversion and enhancements, the newly repurposed southern portion of the pipeline will be able to transport 250,000 dekatherms/day, or almost 91 million dekatherms/year, of natural gas capacity into the greater Philadelphia area.

In January, FERC staff completed an Environmental Assessment of the Adelphia Gateway project, citing its design poses no significant environmental impact and is the preferred path forward for the project.