A 182-mile natural gas pipeline opens
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- December
- 22
The region gained a new source of energy after a 182-mile natural gas pipeline began fully operating today and delivering fuel to shippers.
It took 18 months and more than 2,000 workers to complete the $1 billion project that involved building a pipeline 30 inches in diameter from Corning to Ramapo.
The pipeline is expected to help meet the growing energy demand in the New York metro area by significantly expanding the supplies of natural gas for businesses and homeowners.
The project was built by Millennium Pipeline Company L.L.C. of Pearl River.
“This is an historic day for New York state and the Northeast,” Millennium President Dick Leehr said. “Many years of hard work and planning, permitting and eventual construction have finally come to fruition, enabling Millennium to deliver much-needed natural gas supplies as we enter the peak of the 2008-09 winter heating season.”
Construction of the pipeline started in June 2007, but most of the work took place this year.
While more than 90 percent of the pipeline was built within or next to existing pipeline rights-of-way, some of the most challenging work occured in Rockland County. Steep slopes and rocky terrain along the Rockland route required workers to blast away rock.
Even though the pipeline has started operating, land restoration and environmental monitoring work will continue in 2009.
“It is gratifying to see that a major collaborative effort involving skilled union workers from local communities and around the country, government officials at all levels, customers, partners, contractors, vendors and many other organizations came together to achieve this common important goal of meeting the region’s growing energy needs,” Leehr said.
The pipeline will use various pipeline interconnections to bring more natural gas to New York from Canada.
Pipeline customers include Consolidated Edison of New York, KeySpan Energy Delivery Long Island, Columbia Gas Transmission Corporation and Central Hudson Gas and Electric Corporation.
This entry was posted
on Monday, December 22nd, 2008 at 5:49 pm by Jay Loomis.
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