Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | New York | Pipelines | Regulation | Statewide NY | Transco | Williams
NY PSC Votes to Approve National Grid Gas Plan, Including NESE Pipe
The New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) met yesterday and voted to approve National Grid’s natural gas plan, which includes using more natural gas from the Williams Transco pipeline. While the PSC vote did not explicitly approve of the expansion of Transco, known as the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) project, the National Grid plan calls for increasing gas supply from Transco via NESE; therefore, the PSC implicitly approved the NESE project. It was an important signal from the Gov. Hochul administration that this project is going forward with the State of NY’s blessing. Antis are PO’d (personally offended) with Gov. Hochul. Read More “NY PSC Votes to Approve National Grid Gas Plan, Including NESE Pipe”
The New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) is meeting today and will vote on whether to approve National Grid’s natural gas plan, which includes using more natural gas from the Williams Transco pipeline. More gas would be delivered to National Grid via the proposed Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) pipeline project that will add a new 23-mile pipeline from the shore of New Jersey into (on the bottom of) the Raritan Bay, running parallel to the existing Transco pipeline before connecting to the Transco pipeline offshore from Long Island. The odious National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) convened a Zoom call featuring dingbat actor Mark Ruffalo to trash-talk the project ahead of the vote. 
In early April, MDN brought you the exciting news that pipeline giant Williams, via its subsidiary, Will-Power, is planning to build two Utica/Marcellus gas-fired power plants in the New Albany International Business Park in Licking County, Ohio (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. Both projects would be built in the same general area, starting at the same point near Chatham, Virginia, and ending near Eden, North Carolina. Both claim they have customers ready to take their gas. In a recent FERC filing, Williams said that its project could easily handle Southgate MVP’s capacity by adding meter tubes and regulation at an existing station (see 
Last November, Williams officially filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to build an expansion of its mighty Transco pipeline system in the southeastern U.S., a project called the Southeast Supply Enhancement Project (see 
In May, pipeline giant Williams filed a 246-page request with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to expedite the reissuance of a certificate for the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) project, a billion-dollar-plus project designed to increase Transco pipeline capacity and flows of Marcellus gas heading into New York City and other northeastern markets (see 
Back in May, a prominent Wall Street fund manager (investor) was skeptical that Williams would be able to revive and build two pipeline Marcellus projects: the Constitution Pipeline and the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) Project. Then he sat down to dinner with Williams executives. He came out of that meeting with his mind changed. “I came out of that dinner pretty optimistic. I went in very skeptical. It changed my mind.” If you had any reservations that maybe, just maybe, antis would once again defeat these two projects, set your mind at rest. People with significant financial stakes don’t invest their money in ventures that aren’t a sure thing. That’s our takeaway. 
Big Green is keeping up the pressure on New York Governor Kathy Hochul to block two natural gas pipeline projects that have roared back to life at the prompting of President Trump. Just a week and a half ago, a Big Green rent-a-mob of some 400 (paid) protesters held a rally in New York City and proceeded to march across the Brooklyn Bridge to register their opposition to new natural gas pipelines (see 
We’ve extensively covered the Williams Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) Project over the years, including its death in May 2024 (see 
George Soros-backed Big Green groups are not happy with New York Governor Kathy Hochul and her concession to Donald Trump to allow new pipeline projects to proceed in the state (see 
Pipeline giant Williams issued its second quarter 2025 update yesterday. Williams is a huge company with many fingers in many pies. Of greatest concern to us are those projects that will flow Marcellus/Utica molecules. The big news of the day was that Williams has officially signed up customers for the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) project, which triggers a series of next actions. Primarily, the company expects a reissued certificate for the project from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). CEO Chad Zamarin answered a question about timing and stated that he expects a water permit from New York State to be issued “in the next few months.” That’s sure to spark protest from antis! Also of note: the Transco pipeline hit a new all-time flow rate on July 29 of 16.1 Bcf/d. 
As we mentioned in two different posts today (about the 2Q updates from Coterra and Williams), the Constitution Pipeline project is currently not a top priority for Williams. In fact, Williams’ management didn’t even mention the project during their update. Coterra management did mention it as one of the “top-of-mind” projects for them, but acknowledged that another project, the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) pipeline project, is currently the focus for Williams. Coterra and Williams *might* want to talk to President Trump, because the Constitution project is a big, fat priority for him. Yesterday, Trump’s EPA Administrator, Lee Zeldin, published a major “we need the Constitution Pipeline and we need it now” op-ed in the Boston Globe. 
Two pipeline kingpins are engaged in a scuffle with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to get their competing pipeline projects approved. One is Williams’ Transco Southeast Supply Enhancement Project, the other is EQT’s MVP Southgate project. Both projects would be built in the same general area, starting at the same point near Chatham, Virginia, and ending near Eden, North Carolina. Both claim they have customers ready to take their gas. In a recent FERC filing, Williams said that its project could easily handle Southgate MVP’s capacity by adding meter tubes and regulation at an existing station. EQT is not pleased with the attempt to undercut Southgate. The question is: Will FERC approve both, or just one?