Enbridge’s Texas Eastern Transmission (TETCO) pipeline is a major conduit for Marcellus/Utica gas to flow southward, all the way to the Gulf Coast. It is a vital link south, especially since Equitrans’ Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) won’t be ready until the middle of 2022. Unfortunately the Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration (PHMSA) has denied TETCO approval to continue operating at its maximum allowable pressure, which means roughly 3/4 of a billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of capacity is now gone for the foreseeable future. That equals some 40% of the pipeline’s southbound capacity.
