March 29, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

Natural gas flow to start> Maritimes & Northeast concludes pipeline equipment tests

BANGOR — Natural gas from beneath the ocean floor off Nova Scotia is expected to flow into Maine by week’s end, according to officials from Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline.

The arrival of the gas, originally scheduled to flow westward through the state Monday, was delayed as Canadian officials concluded tests on the Sable Island end of the project, according to Pam Cahill, community relations representative for Maritimes & Northeast.

“We’re ready on the American side,” Cahill said Monday. “As far as the exact date we’ll be up and running, it’s a moving target. You don’t want to rush these things.”

The 630-mile Maritimes & Northeast pipeline will carry natural gas from reserves off Sable Island, Nova Scotia, through Maine to Dracut, Mass. There, the $1.2 billion pipeline connects to the New England natural gas grid.

The reserves off Sable Island are expected to last 25 years, officials estimate.

On Monday, gas did begin flowing through the pipes, however — just in the opposite direction.

Cahill said Monday that Maritimes & Northeast began pumping gas eastward from the New England natural gas grid to Canada so officials there could conclude tests on their equipment.

Also on Monday, Maritimes & Northeast successfully fired up compressor stations in Baileyville and Richmond, Cahill said. The stations pressurize the gas and boost it through the pipeline on its way to southern New England.

Cahill said the company expects to reverse the flow of the gas by Friday.

Shortly after the reversal sends gas back into New England, the Maine Independence Station, a 520-megawatt, gas-fired electric generation plant in Veazie, will draw from the pipeline, according to officials there.

The $221 million plant, owned by Duke Energy, a North Carolina-based power company, is expected to go on line April 1. However, plant officials anticipate using the Sable Island gas on Jan. 3 and 4, when equipment testing is scheduled.

The tests will be conducted between 6 and 9 p.m. those days and will emit high-pitched noises that last for several minutes. The tests will also release natural gas being vented from the lines.

Plant officials said the tests are routine and pose no danger to the public. Questions regarding the tests may be directed to Rufus Kellam, Maine Independence Station director, at 973-1215.

Thus far, the Veazie plant is the only customer that has signed a contract to draw from the Maritimes pipeline.

Local distribution companies are also expected to connect to the pipeline to serve residential and commercial customers.


Have feedback? Want to know more? Send us ideas for follow-up stories.

comments for this post are closed

You may also like