Adelphia gas pipeline gets go-ahead from Feds

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The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the  Adelphia Gateway natural gas pipeline project that touches the  northeast corner of Delaware.

 A divided commission ruled the regulatory body does not have the right to consider the effects of the uses of production or downstream use of natural gas.

Opponents had argued that the commission should take into consideration greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the extraction and consumption of natural gas which comes via hydraulic fracturing or fracking in Pennsylvania.

Supporters have argued that the region needs additional natural gas pipeline capacity to serve industrial sites in the region, including the Kimberly-Clark paper plant in Chester, PA. That plant is converting its power generation site from coal to natural gas.

The future of the plant had been unclear until the natural gas conversion project was announced last year.

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Adelphia Gateway plans to purchase, construct, and operate natural gas transmission facilities. The venture will purchase and repurpose existing pipelines and meter facilities owned by the Interstate Energy Company.

Adelphia plans to convert a pipeline that had transported oil from  Marcus Hook’s former  Sunoco Refinery to natural gas, with a connection to a pipeline in Bucks County, PA. A part  of the pipeline that runs into the Lehigh Valley already transports natural gas.

A small portion of the former Sunoco refinery’s property is in Delaware. That part of the site has not seen the construction of industrial facilities that use natural gas. Delaware legislators passed changes to its Coastal Zone Act that would clear the way for development that was difficult if not impossible under the act.

Unlike some pipeline projects, Adelphia argued that the impact on homes and businesses along the route will be minimal since the current oil pipeline route is being used.

Adelphia Gateway is a subsidiary of New Jersey Resources  a  company that provides natural gas services, including transportation, distribution, asset management and home services. For more information, visit www.adelphiagateway.com

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