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The Williams Companies, Inc. WMB recently announced the full-scale launch of the Southside Reliability Enhancement project. The timely completion of the project highlights the company’s ability to execute the expansion projects in a careful and environment-friendly manner. By expanding the existing Transco transmission corridor and facilities, the Southside Reliability Enhancement project minimizes land use and the requirement for additional facilities while maximizing efficiency.
Overview of WMB’s Southside Reliability Enhancement Project
WMB owns and operates the 10,200-mile-long Transco pipeline system, which extends from south Texas to New York City. In terms of volume,the Transco pipeline is the country’s largest natural gas transportation system, transporting about 20% of the natural gas produced in the United States.
The Southside Reliability Enhancement project is an ambitious expansion and modernization of the existing Transco natural gas pipeline system to North Carolina and Virginia. The expansion project will increase natural gas delivery to meet the growing demand for affordable, reliable and clean energy in the region. This project adds an impressive 423,400 dekatherms per day (Dth/d) of fully contracted capacity to the Transco system to meet the needs of nearly 2 million homes in the region.
The expansion project required the construction of an electric compressor station in Mecklenburg County, Virginia and an additional all-electric compressor at the existing Station 166 in Pittsylvania County. It also involved upgrading and enhancing existing meter stations in different parts of North Carolina. With the given expansion, WMB’s Transco pipeline capacity has increased to 19.9 million Dths of natural gas per day.
Modernization to Meet Record-High Energy Demands
As the demands for winter heating surge, the activation of the Southside Reliability Enhancement is ready to set new benchmarks by fulfilling the requirement of record-high gas demands. On Dec. 22, it achieved an all-time peak of 17.77 million Dth, surpassing prior records. On the same day, Transco delivered over 2.2 million Dths in New York alone, marking the delivery of the highest volumes in the past several years.
The recent frigid conditions across the Northeast validate the importance of WMB’s pipelines, which play a critical role in delivering the natural gas that keeps millions of Americans safe and secure.
The company’s team is fully committed to delivering the entire transmission growth projects to meet the requirement of natural gas in the United States for LNG exports as well as to meet the data center power generation load and energy reshoring.