WE ENERGIES, WISCONSIN GAS TO SEEK BUILD TWO NATURAL GAS STORAGE FACILITIES
Category: Voice Newsletter
Nov
27
We Energies and Wisconsin Gas are seeking approval to build two plants to store liquefied natural gas that could be used to meet spikes in demand on cold winter days. The two plants, projected to cost a total of $370 million, would store natural gas at temperatures of 260 degrees below zero. The plants are needed to meet the projected demand for natural gas during winter months, the two utilities said in their filing with the Public Service Commission.
“This will help smooth out the peak that we are projecting long-term,” said Brendan Conway, a We Energies spokesman.
Liquefied natural gas has about 1/600th of the volume of natural gas burned in a home. Each plant would have the capacity to store 1 billion cubic feet of natural gas. WEC Energy Group already has two liquefied natural gas storage plants.
We Energies and Wisconsin Gas, both part of WEC Energy Group, rely on interstate pipelines and firm contracts to provide natural gas in southeastern Wisconsin. Building the liquefied natural gas plants to meet peak demand would be less costly than contracting with interstate pipelines to add additional capacity, the utilities said in their PSC filing.
We Energies and Wisconsin Gas would have to contract for the additional pipeline capacity year-round to deliver natural gas needed only a few days a year. With the plants, the utilities also would be able to buy and store natural gas when prices are lower than in the winter months.
The two plants are projected to save customers more than $200 million over 30 years, the utilities said. They would be built near Ixonia and in Bluff Creek, just southeast of Whitewater. The utilities would begin construction next year if approved by the Public Service Commission. We Energies also is seeking approval to build a pipeline in southeastern Wisconsin to meet projected growth in Racine and Kenosha counties. The pipeline is projected to cost $175 million to $183 million depending on its route.
Share this post:
