SAN DIEGO, May 26, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- Sempra Energy Global Enterprises today announced an open season to be conducted by and for the Pine Prairie Energy Center, a new salt-cavern gas storage facility in Evangeline Parish, La.
Shippers are invited to demonstrate their interest in storing natural gas at the proposed facility during the open season, which runs from May 26 to June 21, 2004. Pine Prairie is targeted to begin operations by the fourth quarter of 2005 and will be located near the Henry Hub, the nation's largest natural gas trading center.
In an open season, shippers are invited to submit bids for new capacity on gas storage facilities or pipelines.
The development plans for the Pine Prairie Energy Center provide for three salt caverns with a total working capacity of 24 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of natural gas, enabling maximum injections of 1.2 Bcf per day and maximum withdrawals of 2.4 Bcf per day. Pine Prairie Energy Center will offer firm storage services as well as interruptible hub services from its eight interstate and three intrastate pipeline interconnects.
Interstate pipeline interconnections to the facility include: ANR Pipeline Southeast - & ML-2; Columbia Gulf - Mainline; Florida Gas - Zone 2; Tennessee Gas - Zone L; 800 Leg; Texas Eastern - WLA Access Zone; Texas Gas - Zone SL and Transco Zone 3. The intrastate interconnections include: Cypress Gas Pipeline, Gulf South Pipeline and Louisiana Intrastate Gas.
Parties who are interested in the open season or other services from the facility should contact Laura Luce at (203) 355-5840, lluce@pineprairieenergycenter.com or Richard Tomaski at (203) 355-5840, rtomaski@pineprairieenergycenter.com.
For more information on the open season, visit www.pineprairieenergycenter.com.
Due to their high deliverability operating characteristics, salt-cavern storage facilities like Pine Prairie have become key components in supporting the commercial functions of power generators, pipelines, utilities, energy merchants and liquefied natural gas (LNG) regasification terminal operators throughout the United States.
In early July 2004, the Pine Prairie Energy Center will seek authorization from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to construct and operate the facility under Section 7(c) of the Natural Gas Act, including market-based rate treatment.
In addition, Sempra Energy Global Enterprises is in the final stages of completing Bluewater Gas Storage, a 27 Bcf storage facility in St. Clair, Mich.
Sempra Energy Global Enterprises is the umbrella for Sempra Energy's growth businesses, including Sempra Energy LNG, Sempra Energy Trading, Sempra Energy International, Sempra Energy Resources, and Sempra Energy Solutions.
Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE), based in San Diego, is a Fortune 500 energy services holding company with 2003 revenues of $7.9 billion. The Sempra Energy companies' nearly 13,000 employees serve more than 10 million customers in the United States, Europe, Canada, Mexico, South America and Asia.