Williams Cos. has yet to nail down a start date for the Louisiana Energy Gateway pipeline project, a month after the project’s completion date was set back from the fourth quarter of 2024.
The Louisiana Energy Gateway is designed to take natural gas from the Haynesville Shale in Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas to developing LNG export terminals on the Louisiana coast. When opened on its now expected completion date in 2025, the line will carry 1.8 Bcf/d.
Progress is still being made, said Williams CEO Alan Armstrong during a March 19 press conference at CERAWeek by S&P Global. The company has had to adjust its pipeline route plans following a dispute with Energy Transfer.
“We have pushed that back from a timing standpoint,” Armstrong said. “But we are pushing ahead and the project’s actually going fairly well.”
The delay can be traced to a dispute between Williams and Energy Transfer, which became public in mid-February. In the company’s investor conference call, Energy Transfer co-CEO Thomas Long noted that the company had been accused of stifling competition by refusing right-of-way access on three projects slated to cross the company’s pipelines.
Williams COO Michael Dunn said Energy Transfer was using its easements to block companies from their preferred pipeline pathways. Since then, Williams has adjusted its plans and remains optimistic the project will be completed.
“We've been able to reroute around some of those hurdles,” Armstrong said. “And so we are pushing ahead.”
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