The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission reinstated the permits for Williams Cos. subsidiary Transco’s $1 billion Regional Energy Access Expansion pipeline network expansion project on Jan. 24. (Source: viewimage/Shutterstock.com)
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) reinstated the permits for a Williams Cos.’ pipeline network expansion on Jan. 24 with an order that went beyond Williams’ original request to continue operations.
At issue is the FERC permit for Williams subsidiary Transco’s $1 billion Regional Energy Access Expansion (REAE) project, meant to expand natural gas services to customers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland. In July 2024, the Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit, vacated the permits. Williams asked for rehearing on the ruling, which the court decided against on Jan. 21.
Williams had said it was considering filing for an emergency FERC certificate. The REAE is, for the most part, already operational, adding a capacity of 829 MMcf/d of natural gas to the network.
FERC, however, reinstated the original certificate in its Jan. 24 order, making a temporary emergency certificate unnecessary, said Carey Perlozzo, a spokeswoman for Arbo, a firm that monitors government regulation of the energy industry.
In the order, the FERC addressed the D.C. court’s issues with the original certificate, reiterating the permit’s validity. Specifically, the D.C. court had faulted the FERC for not studying if additional natural gas service was needed in the area and for not determining the project’s effect on greenhouse gas emissions.
The FERC order on Jan. 24 responded that it continued to find the project necessary and that the FERC’s mission does not require a determination on a project’s effect on global greenhouse gas emissions.
“We reinstate the certificate and abandonment authority to Transco for the REAE Project as issued in the Certificate Order,” the FERC order stated.
January’s cold snap caused demand on the Transco network to surge. On Jan. 23, the volume on the network that stretches from South Texas to the Northeast U.S. hit 19.17 Bcf/d, an all-time peak, according to Williams.
“Williams appreciates FERC’s swift action at a time when natural gas infrastructure is being called on to reliably deliver at record volumes,” Alan Armstrong, president and CEO of Williams, said in a press release.
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