The Williams Cos. Inc. announced that Transco filed an application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to expand its pipeline system to serve the growing need for natural gas by electric generators, natural gas distributors and end-users in the southeastern U.S. Transco is a wholly owned subsidiary of Williams Partners LP, of which Williams owns controlling interests and is the general partner.

The Hillabee Expansion Project’s design allows for expansion of the existing Transco Pipeline’s capacity in Alabama beginning in May 2017. The expansion would provide incremental firm capacity from certain receipt points at Transco’s Station 85 in Choctaw County, Ala., to a proposed interconnection between Transco and the Sabal Trail Pipeline in Tallapoosa County, Ala. Sabal Trail would lease 100% of such capacity on a long-term basis.

The proposed Hillabee Expansion would be built in three phases to add a total of about 1.13 million dekatherms per day of pipeline capacity to the Transco system by May 2021. It would involve the construction of about 43 miles of additional pipe segments in Alabama, a new compressor facility in Choctaw County and modifications to existing compressor stations and valve sites. The project is part of the $4.5 billion in capital expenditures planned through 2017 on Transco growth projects.