Antis Hold Out Hope to Block NESE Pipe Via Obscure NJ State Agency
As we reported last week, anti-fossil fuel fanatics haven’t given up on trying to block construction of the Williams Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) pipeline, a $1 billion+ project designed to increase Transco pipeline capacity and flows of Marcellus gas heading into New York City and other northeastern markets (see Zombie Antis Fight to Block Williams NESE Pipeline in NY, NJ). Even though ground will break on construction *today* at a ceremony at Brooklyn’s Floyd Bennett Field in New York City, antis are still doing their best to block this project. Their latest angle of attack is to demand (antis always demand) that a relatively obscure state agency in New Jersey reject issuing a license for the project. Read More “Antis Hold Out Hope to Block NESE Pipe Via Obscure NJ State Agency”
We spotted an interesting article that posits Williams’ strategy is to expand its mighty Transco natural gas pipeline system by increasing the capacity of existing infrastructure rather than building new pipelines. The Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line (Transco) is the largest-volume, highest-capacity interstate natural gas transmission system in the U.S. It spans roughly 10,000 miles (with 60+ compressor stations) from the Gulf Coast (Texas/Louisiana) to New York City. The Williams strategy of expanding Transco rather than building new pipes minimizes disruption to communities and the environment while meeting growing demand from residential, commercial, industrial, and power generation sectors. 
Williams Companies is breaking ground tomorrow on the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) pipeline in Brooklyn — the first new pipeline in New York in over a decade — signaling a broader national natural gas infrastructure boom. Driven by AI data center power demand, LNG export growth, and population expansion, the U.S. is tracking over 150 pipeline projects representing roughly 150 Bcf (billion cubic feet) of daily capacity. 
Anti-fossil fuel fanatics haven’t given up on trying to block construction of the Williams Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) pipeline, a $1 billion+ project designed to increase Transco pipeline capacity and flows of Marcellus gas heading into New York City and other northeastern markets. Last November, the states of New York and New Jersey issued federal Clean Water Act permits for their respective states, allowing NESE to be built (see 
Williams is addressing the surging energy needs of data centers by deploying modular natural gas-fired power units. In fact, the company has a 6-gigawatt (GW) project backlog by the early 2030s. Williams executive Jaclyn Presnal highlights that modularization provides essential “speed to power” and extreme reliability through built-in redundancy, outperforming traditional large-scale plants for phased projects. These initiatives incorporate batteries to manage AI-driven loads and leverage pipeline expansions, such as the Transco Power Express (see 
Here we go again: another rebranding of ESG and another attempt to brand natural gas as low-emissions, clean, and green. Pipeline giant Williams has launched what it calls its NextGen Gas program to offer “verified lower-emissions natural gas from wellhead to market.” NextGen Gas measures methane and carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions intensity from wellhead to market, increasing transparency into how natural gas is produced and delivered along a specific gas pathway. 
Just coming to light for us now is that Iroquois Gas Transmission System petitioned the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in February to reissue authorization for the $152 million Wright Interconnect Project in New York State, aiming to revive a critical link for the previously canceled Constitution Pipeline. Originally approved in 2014, the project seeks to establish a new receipt interconnection and compression facilities at the Wright Compressor Station. By creating 650,000 dekatherms per day (650 MMcf/d) of transportation capacity, the initiative intends to alleviate persistent natural gas supply constraints in the Northeast and New England markets. If approved, the project targets a May 2028 in-service date, utilizing existing company-owned infrastructure to minimize environmental impacts. 
Pipeline giant Williams issued its fourth quarter and full-year 2025 update last week. The company forecasts 2026 profits exceeding analysts’ expectations, driven by surging natural gas demand from AI data centers and crypto mining. Williams is aggressively expanding its footprint, with 7.1 Bcf/d of pipeline projects currently underway and new gas-fired power plants such as the $1.3 billion “Socrates the Younger” project. The company plans to invest up to $6.7 billion in 2026 capital spending to capitalize on the sustained, long-term need for gas infrastructure and power growth. 
Pipeline giant Williams Companies is exploring a strategic return to natural gas production to create an integrated “one-stop shop” for AI hyperscalers and data center operators. By potentially acquiring upstream assets to complement its 33,000-mile pipeline network and new power-generation projects such as the Socrates facility in Ohio, Williams aims to offer a turnkey energy solution that bypasses traditional grid constraints. This move toward a “bundled” model reverses a decade of industry specialization, positioning the firm to capitalize on the massive power demands of artificial intelligence. Investors are watching for official confirmation during the company’s 2026 analyst day tomorrow. 
In December, MDN reported that pipeline giant Williams, through its new subsidiary, Will-Power, plans to build a third gas-fired power plant to power a Meta (Facebook) data center complex in Bowling Green, OH (see 
Two pipeline kingpins are engaged in a deathmatch with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to get their competing pipeline projects approved. One is Williams’ Transco Southeast Supply Enhancement Project (SESE), the other is EQT’s MVP Southgate project (see 
Pipeline giant Williams is going on a PR offensive to pressure New York State to approve the 125-mile (99 miles in NY) Constitution Pipeline from the prolific gas fields of Susquehanna County, PA, into and through New York State, to Schoharie County, where it would connect with two other interstate pipeline systems to flow molecules to New York City and New England. On its blog site, Williams recently published a post titled “Winter storms underscore why infrastructure is needed,” with the subtitle “Severe cold underscores need for Constitution Pipeline.” 
Reverting back to true form by obsequiously bowing to environmental extremists, New York Governor Kathy Hochul ordered her lapdogs at the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to log an objection with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to a request by Williams to resurrect the Constitution Pipeline project. Even though Hochul bartered a deal with President Trump to allow this pipeline (see 
In November of last year, both New York and New Jersey issued the required federal water permits for the Williams Transco Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) natural gas pipeline project (see