UGI Energy Services

Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Regulation | UGI Energy Services | Wyoming County (PA)

Anti-Drillers Try to Stop Pipeline Connector in NE PA
May 3, 2013May 3, 2013

Even though a pipeline connection, known as a “gate station,” has existed in Wyoming County, PA (northeastern part of the state) for the past 50 years, apparently no one noticed it existed (see Back to Kindergarten: UGI Explains NatGas Gate Stations). A small number of anti-drillers oppose a plan by local utility company UGI to build a second pipeline connector/gate station in the area. It’s not a compressor plant–just a connector. And even though it will lower their natural gas bills, they don’t want it. Why? They (erroneously) believe it’s a back-door way for UGI to build a new compressor plant in the area, apparently:
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Berks County | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Inergy | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Statewide PA | UGI Energy Services | WGL Holdings

Berks County Officials Think Commonwealth Pipeline Will Rise Again
May 1, 2013May 1, 2013

The Commonwealth Pipeline, a joint venture between Inergy, UGI and WGL Holdings, was suspended indefinitely just a few weeks ago (see PA’s Commonwealth Pipeline Project Suspended – Indefinitely). However, officials from Berks County, PA, in the southeastern part of the state and a county through which the Commonwealth Pipeline was slated to pass through, don’t buy it. They believe the project will come back to life and pass through their county, eventually…
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Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Inergy | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Statewide PA | UGI Energy Services | WGL Holdings

PA’s Commonwealth Pipeline Project Suspended – Indefinitely
April 18, 2013June 10, 2013

In December, MDN told you that work on the 120-mile Commonwealth Pipeline, a Marcellus Shale pipeline running from Lycoming County to the Philadelphia area was “on hold” (see Commonwealth Pipeline for Marcellus Region on Hold). You can now change that to work has been “suspended” on the pipeline—indefinitely. Did the anti-drillers win this particular skirmish in the fracking wars?

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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | UGI Energy Services | Wyoming County (PA)

Back to Kindergarten: UGI Explains NatGas Gate Stations
April 4, 2013April 4, 2013

Northeastern PA utility company UGI is in a strange position. Geographically the company and it’s natural gas distribution network sit in or near some of the richest deposits of natural gas known to exist in the United States—the Marcellus Shale. All UGI has to do is install some new pipelines here and there, and a compressor station here and there, to bring that low-cost gas to its customers. Currently the gas being delivered to households in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area mostly comes from the Gulf Coast! Why not use gas produced locally, which is far cheaper.

Why not? Because of dullards who oppose installing the new pipelines and compressor stations. Anything to do with natural gas has gotten so divisive and politically charged, that UGI now has to explain (“dumb it down”) to people why lowly gate stations (pipeline connectors) are safe:

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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Luzerne County | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | UGI Energy Services

Luddites of Luzerne: UGI Scraps Plan for PA Compressor Station
March 25, 2013March 25, 2013

The forces of anti-drilling and anti-progress have won in Luzerne County, PA. UGI Energy has scrapped plans to build a new pipeline compressor station in Luzerne after facing stiff opposition from citizens and the county zoning board. The zoning board refused to permit the new compressor station last year and UGI was in the process of appealing it with a local court (see UGI Plans Start of PA Marcellus Pipeline Despite Zoning Appeal). Apparently UGI has lost its appetite to fight the Luddites of Luzerne County (maybe there’s a new HBO series in there somewhere?):

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Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Luzerne County | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Regulation | UGI Energy Services | Wyoming County (PA)

UGI Plans Start of PA Marcellus Pipeline Despite Zoning Appeal
January 25, 2013January 25, 2013

Pennsylvania energy utility UGI is working hard to bring low-cost, locally produced Marcellus Shale gas to its customers in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area. Currently UGI gets natural gas for its northeast PA customers from the Gulf of Mexico, which is crazy given the abundant, local Marcellus natural gas supplies all around them. But the Luzerne County zoning board last September denied UGI the right to build a much-needed compressor station that would help bring local gas to local customers (see Luzerne County Denies UGI Permit to Build Compressor Station).

UGI appealed that decision in court, and in the meantime, they’re moving forward with building a 28-mile pipeline anyway—an extension of the Auburn Pipeline from Wyoming County to Luzerne County (see the map below for the route of the new pipeline). If UGI’s appeal for the compressor station for the new pipeline fails, they do have a backup plan…

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Energy Companies | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Potter County | Tenaska Resources | Tioga County (PA) | UGI Energy Services

UGI & Tenaska Sign Deal to Build New Marcellus Pipeline in PA
January 15, 2013January 15, 2013

Pennsylvania electric & gas utility UGI Corporation announced yesterday they’ve cut a deal with driller Tenaska Resources to jointly develop Marcellus Shale projects in both Potter and Tioga counties in north-central PA. Over the next 10 years UGI will invest $65 million to build a new gathering pipeline system in Potter County, and another $25 million investment in return for a 19% interest in Tenaska’s Tioga County acreage/operations.

From the UGI announcement yesterday:

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Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Inergy | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Statewide PA | UGI Energy Services | WGL Holdings

Commonwealth Pipeline for Marcellus Region on Hold
December 19, 2012December 19, 2012

A 120-mile**, large (30-inch) Marcellus Shale pipeline from Lycoming County, in northeastern Pennsylvania, all the way to Rockland, Maryland was announced in March of this year. The three companies planning it—Inergy, UGI and WGL Holdings—dubbed it the Commonwealth Pipeline and said it will cost $1 billion to build it (see this MDN story for the original announcement). The three companies offered a non-binding “open season” (period of time when other companies commit to using capacity in the pipeline) and in June announced the open season went better than expected (see this MDN story).

However, the Commonwealth Pipeline is now on hold and work has stopped. What happened?

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Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Luzerne County | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Regulation | UGI Energy Services

Luzerne County Denies UGI Permit to Build Compressor Station
September 5, 2012September 5, 2012

Sadly, the Luzerne County, PA zoning hearing board has voted to deny UGI Energy Services a permit to build a much-needed compressor station in West Wyoming. The station would help bring low-cost shale gas to local customers. Apparently local customers in Luzerne County prefer paying higher costs for their natural gas.

Here’s what happened last night:

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Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Inergy | Lycoming County | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Statewide PA | UGI Energy Services

More Details on Commonwealth Pipeline for Marcellus
August 20, 2012August 20, 2012

As previously reported, a new $1 billion pipeline for Marcellus and Utica Shale gas is in the works from Inergy, UGI and Capitol Energy Ventures (see this MDN story). The 200-mile “Commonwealth Line” would run from the MARC 1 Hub Line in Lycoming County, PA due south, connecting to Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, DC.

Here’s a bit more information about the project which is moving forward full speed ahead:

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Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Inergy | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Statewide PA | UGI Energy Services

Commonwealth Pipeline Open Season Exceeds Expectations
June 19, 2012June 18, 2012

Inergy Midstream, UGI Energy and Capitol Energy Ventures are partnering to build a new 200-mile natural gas pipeline from Lycoming County, PA all the way to Rockville, MD (see this MDN story). Called the Commonwealth Pipeline, the new $1 billion pipeline will connect with several major interstate pipelines along its route.

Yesterday, Inergy et al reported that their non-binding open season to sign up customers to use the pipeline went better than expected. From the Inergy press release:

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Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Luzerne County | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | UGI Energy Services

Proposed Compressor Plant Near Wilkes-Barre Criticized
May 24, 2012May 24, 2012

Residents gathered in West Wyoming (Luzerne County), PA to hear about plans from UGI Energy Services, subsidiary of UGI Utilities, to build a natural gas compressor plant in the township. The compressor plant will help bring Marcellus Shale gas through a new 28-mile pipeline UGI is building from Wyoming County to Luzerne County. Getting shale gas to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area will lead to a 40 percent reduction in natural gas bills for customers over the next four years, according to UGI.

But the compressor plant is not without its critics…

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Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Lackawanna County | Luzerne County | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | UGI Energy Services

Marcellus Shale Gas Coming to Scranton/W-B Customers
May 4, 2012May 4, 2012

UGI Utilities, a regional gas and electric utility provider with offices in Reading and Wilkes-Barre, wants to be the first utility in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area to offer their customers natural gas exclusively from the Marcellus Shale. How? UGI’s subsidiary, UGI Energy Services, announced last fall they would spend $150 million to extend the Auburn Gathering Line into Luzerne County. The Auburn pipeline will bring natural gas from wells in Wyoming and Susquehanna counties to Luzerne where UGI has operations and offices.

As part of the extension project, on April 7 UGI made application with the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to build a compressor station in West Wyoming, a small borough in Luzerne County:

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Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Inergy | Lycoming County | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Statewide PA | UGI Energy Services | WGL Holdings

New $1B Marcellus Gas Pipeline Coming from NE PA to MD
March 2, 2012March 2, 2012

Three companies are joining forces to spend $1 billion to build a new Marcellus natural gas pipeline that runs from northern Pennsylvania to Maryland. Most major pipelines head in the other direction, trying to tap into northeastern markets like New York and Boston. But Inergy, UGI and WGL, the three partners, have a different take. They want to send gas in the other direction—to the Mid-Atlantic region—and along the way service markets including Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

Dubbed the Commonwealth Pipeline, this new 200 mile, 30-inch pipeline will start in Lycoming County, PA where Inergy is currently building a gathering pipeline to connect Marcellus wells in Bradford and Sullivan counties, and from there go south through central and eastern PA, eventually connecting to WGL’s gas distribution system near Rockville, MD. The new pipeline will connect with other major pipelines along its route allowing gas to move bi-directionally.

From the Inergy press release:

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Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Susquehanna County | UGI Energy Services

Local Pipeline in NE PA Now Sending Marcellus Gas Interstate
October 12, 2011October 12, 2011

Marcellus shale gas is now flowing through the UGI Energy Services Auburn pipeline to the Tennessee Gas Pipeline in Susquehanna County, PA with volumes expected to reach 120,000 dekatherms per day “in the next several months.” What does it mean? It’s one more access point for Marcellus Shale gas to reach the larger interstate market.

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