Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1642 Houston, TX June 10, 2015

Transcription

1 5400 Westheimer Court Houston, TX main Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1642 Houston, TX June 10, 2015 Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 888 First Street, NE Washington, DC Re: Algonquin Gas Transmission, LLC, Docket No. PF Monthly Progress Report Dear Ms. Bose: On February 20, 2015, the Director of the Office of Energy Projects of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ( Commission ) issued a letter to Algonquin Gas Transmission, LLC ( Algonquin ) in the above-referenced docket approving Algonquin s request to use the pre-filing review process for the Atlantic Bridge Project. Pursuant to Section (f)(6) of the Commission s regulations, 1 Algonquin herewith submits its monthly progress report for the Atlantic Bridge Project. Should you have any questions regarding this filing, please contact me at (713) or DeAndra Black at (713) Respectfully submitted, Enclosures /s/ Chris Harvey Chris Harvey Director, Rates and Certificates cc: Maggie Suter (FERC) Danny Laffoon (FERC) 1 18 C.F.R (f)(6) (2014).

2 Algonquin Gas Transmission, LLC and Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline, L.L.C. Atlantic Bridge Project - FERC Docket No. PF FERC Pre-Filing Process MONTHLY PROGRESS REPORT Period Ending: May 31, 2015 Report No. 3 By letter order dated February 20, 2015, Algonquin Gas Transmission, LLC ( Algonquin ) and Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline, L.L.C. ( Maritimes ) (collectively, the Applicants ), were granted approval by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ( FERC ) to utilize FERC s Pre- Filing Review Process for the Atlantic Bridge Project ( Project ) with facilities proposed in New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. The Project has been assigned Docket No. PF This Monthly Progress Report provides a brief summary of significant Project activities or changes that have occurred over the last month (May 2015). Activities and milestones covered in this report are associated with the FERC Pre-Filing Review Process, field surveys, landowner survey permission, Project facilities, agency contacts, and stakeholder outreach. A summary is provided below. 1.0 FERC NEPA REVIEW Pre-filing conference calls were held with FERC staff, Project team members, and agency representatives on May 5, 2015 and May 19, These bi-weekly calls will continue throughout the Pre-Filing Review Process. FERC held public scoping meetings from May 11 - May 14, 2015 in the Project area. Meetings were held in Yorktown, NY, Glastonbury, CT, Weymouth, MA and Franklin, MA. The FERC scoping period opened on April 27, 2015 and closes on June 11, PROJECT ROUTING AND FACILITIES Algonquin has reduced the overall Project facilities to reflect current expectations for customer participation in the Atlantic Bridge Project. The Atlantic Bridge Project capacity has been reduced from 153,000 dekatherms per day ( Dth/d ) as reported in the April 1, 2015 monthly report to 132,000 Dth/d. The changes in pipeline and aboveground facilities for the Project are described in more detail in the following sections. Pipeline Facilities The total length of pipeline for the Project has been reduced from 18.4 miles to 6.3 miles, a reduction of approximately 12.1 miles from the previous Project scope (see updated Figure 1.1-1). This reduction has been achieved through the removal of the Upstream Ramapo Take-up and Relay, Cromwell Discharge Loop, and Q-1 System Loop from the Project scope. The remaining proposed Project pipeline segments are all take-up and relay construction. 1

3 Table 2.1 provides a side-by-side comparison of the original 222,000 Dth/d Project scope, the previously modified 153,000 Dth/d scope and the new 132,000 Dth/d scope. The 222,000 Dth/d scope was filed with FERC in the Applicant s March 23, 2015 preliminary drafts of Resource Report 1 (General Project Description) and Resource Report 10 (Alternatives). The 153,000 Dth/d modified scope was filed with FERC on April 2, 2015 in the Applicant s monthly progress report. Pipeline Facility Table 2.1: Atlantic Bridge Project Pipeline Facility Scope Changes Original Scope 222,000 dekatherms per day ( Dth/d ) Pipeline Length (Miles) Previously Modified Scope 153,000 Dth/d Pipeline Length (Miles) New Project Scope 132,000 Dth/d Pipeline Length (Miles) Upstream Ramapo Take-up and Relay Removed from scope Stony Point Discharge Takeup and Relay Southeast Discharge Take-up and Relay Cromwell Discharge Loop Removed from scope Chaplin Discharge Loop 2.5 Removed from scope - G-2 System Loop 2.2 Removed from scope - Q-1 System Loop Removed from scope Total: Aboveground Facilities In addition to the pipeline changes, the compression horsepower ( hp ) scope for the Project has been modified with the new 132,000 Dth/d scope. This includes the installation of Taurus 70 units at each station rated at 10,915 hp each (see Table 2.2 below) instead of the Taurus 60 units (7,700 hp each) included with the 153,000 Dth/d scope. In addition, the proposed Centaur 50 unit horsepower has been increased by 200 hp at the Chaplin Compressor. In summary, the total amount of additional compression proposed by the Project under the new 132,000 Dth/d scope is 29,630 hp, which is 6,630 hp more than the 153,000 Dth/day scope but 1,400 hp less than the original 222,000 Dth/d scope. The new 132,000 Dth/d scope also includes the removal of the Fall River metering and regulating ( M&R ) station from the Project and the addition of piping modifications at the existing Westbrook M&R located in Westbrook, Maine on the Maritimes system. Table 2.2 provides a side-by-side comparison of the original 222,000 Dth/d Project scope, the previously modified 153,000 Dth/d scope and the new 132,000 Dth/d scope. 2

4 Project Facility Compressor s Oxford Compressor Oxford, CT Chaplin Compressor Chaplin, CT Weymouth Compressor Weymouth, MA Total Compression Increase: Meter and Regulator s Yorktown M&R, Yorktown, NY Somers M&R Somers, NY Danbury M&R Danbury, CT Salem Pike M&R Norwich, CT Needham Regulator Needham, MA Pine Hills M&R Plymouth, MA Plymouth M&R Plymouth, MA Fall River M&R Fall River, MA Westbrook M&R, Westbrook, ME Table 2.2: Atlantic Bridge Project Aboveground Facility Scope Changes Original Scope 222,000 Dth/d Add Taurus 70 (10,915 hp) gas plus cooling Add Taurus 60 (7,700 hp) gas plus cooling, Replace two existing 42- ppm NOx Taurus 60 gas fired compressor units (6,950 hp each) with two new 9-ppm NOx Taurus 60 gas fired compressor units (7,700 hp each). Taurus 70 (10,915 hp) gas plus cooling Previously Modified Scope 153,000 Dth/d Add Taurus 60 (7,700 hp) gas plus cooling Add Centaur 50 (6,100 hp) gas plus cooling, Replace two existing 42- ppm NOx Taurus 60 gas fired compressor units (6,950 hp each) with two new 9-ppm NOx Taurus 60 gas fired compressor units (7,700 hp each). Add Taurus 60 (7,700 hp) gas plus cooling New Project Scope 132,000 Dth/d Add Taurus 70 (10,915 hp) gas plus cooling Add Centaur 50 (6,300 hp) gas plus cooling Replace two existing 42- ppm NOx Taurus 60 gas fired compressor units (6,950 hp each) with two new 9-ppm NOx Taurus 60 gas fired compressor units (7,700 hp each). Taurus 70 (10,915 hp) gas plus cooling 31,030 hp 23,000 hp 29,630 hp Install OPP facilities for existing station Install over pressure protection ( OPP ) facilities for existing M&R station Install OPP facilities for existing station Construct new M&R station to replace existing Modify existing regulator station Install OPP facilities for existing station Removed from scope - Install OPP facilities for existing station Construct new M&R station to replace existing Modify existing regulator station No change No change No change No change Rebuild existing M&R station Rebuild existing M&R station No change Rebuild existing M&R station Rebuild existing M&R station No change Not part of original scope Rebuild existing M&R station Removed from scope Existing M&R station under evaluation Existing M&R station under evaluation Added to Project scope. Proposed piping modifications at existing Westbrook M&R. 3

5 Legend ") Compressor (C/S) (Proposed Modification) ") Compressor (C/S) (Proposed New) M&R (Modification Required) M&R (Proposed New) Proposed Pipeline Existing Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline Existing Algonquin Gas Transmission Pipeline State Boundary Windsor Sullivan Merrimack Belknap Strafford Androscoggin Cumberland WESTBROOK M A I N E York ON Regional Suppliers PA NY VT NH Atlantic Bridge Project NJ QC MA CT RI ME NB NS Maritimes & Northeast Algonquin Texas Eastern County Boundary Windham Cheshire Hillsborough Rockingham V E R M O N T Bennington N E W H A M P S H I R E Essex oharie Albany Rensselaer Franklin M A S S A C H U S E T T S Middlesex Greene N E W Y O R K Ulster Dutchess Columbia Berkshire Litchfield ") SALEM PIKE ") C O N N E C T I C U T Suffolk Hartford Hampden Existing Chaplin C/S Increase HPTolland Worcester Windham DANBURY Orange Putnam New London YORKTOWN Middlesex New Haven Fairfield Westchester Southeast Discharge Take-Up and Relay (2.3 miles) Passaic Rockland Bergen N E W s J E R S E Y Bronx Essex Union Hudson New York Kings Existing Oxford C/S Increase HP Queens Nassau Hampshire Stony Point Discharge Take-Up and Relay (4.0 miles) NEEDHAM Norfolk Bristol Providence Kent R H O D E I S L A N D Washington Newport ") Proposed Weymouth C/S PLYMOUTH Plymouth PINE HILLS Dukes Barnstable K 0 40 Miles Algonquin Gas Transmission, LLC Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline, L.L.C. Atlantic Bridge Project Figure Project Overview Map Created on 6/10/2015

6 3.0 LANDOWNER SURVEY PERMISSION Table 3.1 summarizes the status of landowner survey permission for the Atlantic Bridge Project. Table 3.1: Status of Survey Permission for the Atlantic Bridge Project Project Facility Survey Permission Granted (%) Pipeline Facilities Stony Point Discharge Take-up and Relay 83% Southeast Discharge Take-up and Relay 95% 4.0 FIELD SURVEYS Civil Surveys Civil surveys for the Project are ongoing. Algonquin has completed about 95 percent of the centerline survey for the Project pipelines and about 90 percent of the detailed pipeline survey. Algonquin has also completed approximately 95 percent of the civil surveys required for the aboveground facilities. Algonquin is in the process of obtaining survey permission for the remaining parcels that have not yet been surveyed. Geotechnical Surveys for Horizontal Directional Drilling Evaluation Algonquin is currently conducting a geotechnical survey to recover rock core samples to document existing subsurface conditions and bedrock properties along the proposed HDD alignments. The geotechnical survey work will continue through the spring and summer of Wetland and Waterbody Surveys 2015 wetland and vernal pool surveys were completed for the Q-1 System Loop in May Threatened & Endangered Species Surveys Algonquin continues to informally consult with federal and state resource agencies including the USFWS, NMFS, State Natural Heritage Programs, and State fisheries and wildlife agencies. Phase 2 bog turtle surveys were started in May 2015 in New York. An Indiana bat and Northern long-eared bat survey protocol is being prepared in anticipation of June 2015 surveys. 5

7 Cultural Resource Surveys The cultural resources identification field surveys for the Project resumed in May 2015 where landowner access has been obtained. Archaeological site evaluations also commenced in May 2015 along the Stony Point Discharge Take-up and Relay. Historic architectural properties identification survey is planned to commence in June Cultural resource identification survey fieldwork progress is as follows: Table 4.1: Cultural Resource Survey Progress Atlantic Bridge Project Facility Archaeological Identification Survey Fieldwork Progress Archaeological Site Evaluation Fieldwork Progress Aboveground Resource Identification Survey Fieldwork Progress Stony Point Discharge Take-up and Relay 79% 100% (for known sites) 0% Southeast Discharge Take-up and Relay 91% To Be Determined (TBD) 0% NY Aboveground Facilities 100% N/A 0% CT Aboveground Facilities 100% N/A 0% MA Aboveground Facilities N/A N/A 0% 5.0 STAKEHOLDER OUTREACH Algonquin participated in a Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board public hearing held in the Town of Weymouth on May 27, AGENCY CONTACTS Algonquin received a letter response from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection ( CTDEEP ) Natural Diversity Data Base on May 22, Algonquin met with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service New England Field Office on May 15, 2015 to discuss the Project and federally endangered and threatened species. Algonquin met with the CTDEEP on May 20, 2015 to provide an overview of the Project and discuss anticipated permits and approvals. Algonquin also informed the CTDEEP of the reduced project scope. Algonquin informed both the New England and New York Divisions of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of the reduced scope of facilities and requested a pre-application meeting to coordinate the permitting process. Algonquin informed the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation ( NYSDEC ) of the reduced scope of facilities although the New York segments were not changed. Algonquin is coordinating a project briefing meeting with the NYSDEC. 6

8 Document Content(s) AB Monthly Status Report No 3.PDF...1-7