Natural gas release planned near Weymouth compressor station this week
WEYMOUTH – The owner of the natural gas compressor station o the banks of the Fore River has notified state officials that it will release natural gas into the atmosphere for the next few weeks to performance maintenance on the pipeline.
Enbridge, the Canadian-based energy company that built the compressor station, notified the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection that it plans to do maintenance on the pipeline during two, 24-hour periods between Thursday, Feb. 23, and March 7. The pipeline runs from Methuen to a metering and regulating station located in the Fore River Basin, next to the compressor station.
The compressor station is part of Enbridge’s Atlantic Bridge project, which expands the company’s natural gas pipelines from New Jersey into Canada. Since the station was proposed in 2015, residents have argued it presents serious health and safety risks.
Enbridge said in its notification that the maintenance involves placing a cleaning tool and an inline inspection tool inside the pipeline.
"Controlled natural gas venting at the Weymouth Compressor Station will occur intermittently throughout the 24-hour period on each day the tool runs," the notice states.
Because the tools are propelled through the pipeline by natural gas, the company said the maintenance depends on certain flow and pressure conditions that are impacted by weather and demand.
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The company estimates that approximately 54,000 standard cubic feet of natural gas will get released during each 24-hour period. Enbridge is required to notify the state of any expected release of natural gas exceeding 10,000 standard cubic feet.
Algonquin Gas Transmission, a subsidiary of Spectra Energy, received initial approval for the compressor station in January 2017 from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Enbridge later acquired Spectra. State regulators also issued several permits for the project despite strong opposition from local officials and residents.
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This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Natural gas release planned for Fore River compressor station
