Williams Expands Transco Pipeline with Southside Reliability Enhancement

Williams’ Southside Reliability Enhancement (SRE) entered full service on the Transcontinental Pipeline (Transco) in North Carolina and Virginia. The SRE project expands and modernizes Transco to deliver additional natural gas capacity, clean energy, and heating demand for over 2 million regional homes. The following modifications increased contracted pipeline capacity by 423,400 Dth/d:

• A new, all-electric compressor station in Mecklenburg County, VA
• Electric compression upgrade at Station 166 in Pittsylvania County, VA
• Upgrades and enhancements on meter stations in Iredell, Northampton, and Hertford counties in North Carolina

Williams owns and operates Transco, extending approximately 10,000 miles from southern Texas to New York City as the United States’ largest-volume natural gas pipeline system.

Transco pipeline; image credit: Williams Companies

SRE Impact

Following these expansions, Transco’s system-design capacity rose to 19.9 million Dth/d and will transport approximately 20% of the natural gas produced in the United States. With the modernization and utilization of the Transco transmission corridor and existing facilities, the SRE project reduced facility requirement and land use; thus, leading to a minimized environmental impact while allowing increased natural gas volumes. This additional natural gas supply is also needed to support the integration of intermittent renewables in power generation, specifically in North Carolina and South Carolina.

“The on-time completion of this latest project underscores our team’s ability to execute large-scale expansions in a careful, efficient, safe and environmentally responsible manner,” said Alan Armstrong, President and CEO, Williams. “Our entire team continues to execute on a full portfolio of transmission growth projects to meet accelerating natural gas demand in the United States for LNG exports, power generation from data center load growth, and the reshoring of energy-intensive manufacturing that is taking advantage of low-cost natural gas supplies here at home.”

Growing Demand Loads

SRE accommodates increasingly high demand loads for the current heating season, with the Transco system witnessing record and near-record loads in December. It hit an all-time peak day on December 22 with a total volume of 17.77 million Dth. In New York, Transco delivered peak loads of more than 2.2 million Dth on December 22—an additional record for the past several years. Transco also set a new, all-time three-day peak of just over 50 million Dth.

“Continued demand growth, completion of the SRE in addition to our recent Regional Energy Access project, and in-service of the Mountain Valley Pipeline Interconnect continue to support strong system growth for the heating season,” added Armstrong. “The recent frigid conditions across the Northeast are a reminder of the role transmission pipelines play in delivering the natural gas necessary to keep millions of Americans safe and secure, especially during winter periods of peak demand. The value of reliable natural gas infrastructure is not always recognized until low-cost energy is needed most and I appreciate our teams for their dedication to keeping our operations running smoothly around the clock.”

Williams Acquisition

In early January 2024, Williams signed an acquisition agreement with an affiliate of Hartree Partners LP for a portfolio of natural gas pipeline and export assets worth $1.95 billion. The purchase agreement includes six underground natural gas storage facilities in Louisiana and Mississippi with a total capacity of 115 billion cubic feet (Bcf). In addition to subterranean storage sites, Williams acquired 230 miles of gas transmission pipeline and 30 pipeline interconnects to large LNG markets.

The natural gas storage facilities feature four salt domes with a combined capacity of 92 Bcf and two exhausted reservoirs with a total capacity of 23 Bcf. Williams’ acquired storage facilities have an injection capacity of 5 Bcf/d and a withdrawal capacity of 7.9 Bcf/d. The Pine Prairie and Southern Pines storage facilities are directly connected to the Transco natural gas transmission pipelines, with possibility for expansion.