Learn more about Hart Energy Conferences
Get our latest conference schedules, updates and insights straight to your inbox.
The Gas Transmission Northwest Pipeline, formerly known as the Pacific Gas Transmission Pipeline, has been operating as one of the largest and most important natural gas pipelines in the western portion of North America since 1961.
The TransCanada-owned system stretches 1,356 miles from the British Columbia-Idaho border through Washington to the Oregon-California border with a capacity of 2.9 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d). The system has the capacity to deliver more than 2.1 Bcf/d of natural gas to California and up to 1 Bcf/d to the Pacific Northwest. It is powered by 12 compressor stations with 513,400 horsepower. According to TransCanada, the volumes shipped on the pipeline primarily come from Western Canada, but additional volumes from the U.S. are received at Stanfield, Ore.
The pipeline has interconnections with TransCanada’s BC System at Kingsgate, British Columbia; Williams’ Northwest Pipeline at Spokane and Palouse, Wash., and Stanfield, Ore.; and the Pacific Gas & Electric Co. and Tuscarora Gas Transmission Co. at Malin, Ore.
As natural gas becomes more important on the West Coast as a fuel for both electric power generation and transportation, the Gas Transmission Northwest system will increase in value. The system is already benefiting from the increase of natural gas production out of Western Canada, but it will further benefit as production is added from the Mackenzie Delta and Alaska.
According to Hart Energy’s Mapping & Data Services, the largest transportation customer on the system is Pacific Gas & Electric Co. at 610,000 dekatherms per day (Dth/d). This is followed by Avista Corp. at a combined 245,000 Dth/d; EDF Trading North America at 150,000 Dth/d; Shell Energy North America at 139,000 Dth/d; Northwest Natural Gas Co. at 106,000 Dth/d; Puget Sound Energy at 90,000 Dth/d; IGI Resources at 85,000 Dth/d; Iberdrola Renewables at 80,000 Dth/d; and Sierra Pacific Power Co. at 80,000 Dth/d.
In the four-year period from 2006 to 2009, the system’s best year for transportation revenue was 2007 at $300 million. This was also the system’s best year for throughput volumes at 2.3 million Dth/d
Contact the author, Frank Nieto, at fnieto@hartenergy.com.
Recommended Reading
CERAWeek: Tecpetrol CEO Touts Argentina Conventional, Unconventional Potential
2024-03-28 - Tecpetrol CEO Ricardo Markous touted Argentina’s conventional and unconventional potential saying the country’s oil production would nearly double by 2030 while LNG exports would likely evolve over three phases.
CERAWeek: Trinidad Energy Minister on LNG Restructuring, Venezuelan Gas Supply
2024-03-28 - Stuart Young, Trinidad and Tobago’s Minister of Energy, discussed with Hart Energy at CERAWeek by S&P Global, the restructuring of Atlantic LNG, the geopolitical noise around inking deals with U.S.-sanctioned Venezuela and plans to source gas from Venezuela and Suriname.
Exclusive: Chevron Balancing Low Carbon Intensity, Global Oil, Gas Needs
2024-03-28 - Colin Parfitt, president of midstream at Chevron, discusses how the company continues to grow its traditional oil and gas business while focusing on growing its new energies production, in this Hart Energy Exclusive interview.
Baltimore Port Closure Could Dent US Coal Export Volumes, EIA Says
2024-03-28 - Baltimore handled exports of 28 million short tons last year, making up 28% of total U.S. coal exports.
Vopak Consortium Selected to Operate New LNG Terminal in South Africa
2024-01-10 - Vopak, in a partnership with Transnet Pipelines, was selected to develop and operate an LNG terminal at the Port of Richards Bay in South Africa for 25 years.