In July 2016 MDN told you about a smallish, but important pipeline project in the Delmarva Peninsula area, which includes most of Delaware and portions of Maryland and Virginia. Eastern Shore Natural Gas’ 2017 System Expansion project will bring new sources of natgas from an interconnection Eastern Shore has with the mighty TETCo (Texas Eastern Company) pipeline near Philadelphia (see PA/MD/DE Pipeline Project Heats Up with Open House Mtgs This Week). The project includes 22.7 miles of new looping pipeline (laid next to existing pipeline) in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware; a 16.9-mile extension to a pipeline in Sussex County, DE; and upgrades to compressor and valve stations. Chesapeake Utilities, the parent company, calls the project the single largest such expansion in Eastern Shore’s history, a project that will bump up gas delivery volumes by 25%. In May the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) gave the project a glowing environmental review (see Delmarva Pipeline Expansion Gets Positive FERC Enviro Review). A favorable EIS from FERC is typically prelude to a full, final approval. And such is the case with this project. On Wednesday, FERC issued a certificate approving the project–a final approval. The next step will be for Chesapeake Utilities, the parent company building the project, to request FERC permission to start the bulldozers and backhoes…
