January 25, 2011 - Ruby Pipeline

Photo: a recent view of the beach in Seal Harbor, Maine.

Last week, I had the chance to see the development of the Ruby Pipeline in northern Utah.  Construction of this project started in July 2010, and work is proceeding along the 680-mile route from Wyoming, across Utah and Nevada, to Oregon.  The project is aiming to begin shipping gas from the Rocky Mountain region in June 2011.  The pipeline will interconnect with other pipelines serving local distribution companies with customers in California, Nevada and Oregon.  It is being developed by El Paso Corporation, the owner of North America’s largest gas pipeline system and one of the continent's largest independent natural gas producers.

Here's a link to the project's website and a PDF of the route map.  I saw a portion of the route across Box Elder and Cache Counties in Utah, where the pipeline runs along the Wasatch Front and climbs up over a pass to Cache Valley.  The pipeline itself generally runs underground (buried about 3 feet deep).

If you're really interested, here's a link to the pipeline's tariff (a 236-page PDF).

January 21, 2011 - quick update

A quick update from the road: I've been in Utah, getting a first-hand look at the Ruby Pipeline.  This project being developed by El Paso Corporation's subsidiary Ruby Pipeline, L.L.C. represents about $3 billion in investment in natural gas infrastructure.  The route travels about 680 miles from the Opal Hub in Wyoming to Malin, Oregon, and has an initial design capacity of up to 1.5 billion cubic feet per day.  As I've noted before, Utah already has low electricity prices, and a good supply of natural gas to businesses and households alike.  Next week, I'll share some photos of the project, and some observations about its impacts.