Runs from Pennsylvania to Ohio to Gulf Coast

The TransCanada pipeline that runs from Pennsylvania to Lawrence County and then down south has been placed in service, the company announced on Jan. 1.

Called the Leach XP, it is a 160-mile-long pipeline that consists of 36-inch-diameter pipe, three compressor stations, and modifications to an existing compressor station.

TransCanada, based in Calgary, Alberta, said it was an investment of $1.6 billion and the pipeline is capable of transporting approximately 1.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas a day through an existing interconnect with TransCanada’s Columbia Gulf Transmission System and its Rayne XPress (RXP) project to Southeast and Gulf Coast supply markets.

“Successful completion of Leach XPress is a prime example of TransCanada’s North American strategy of connecting prolific and growing supply basins with markets eager to access reliable, reasonably priced sources of energy,” said Russ Girling, TransCanada president and CEO.

“This is truly a best-in-class pipeline and we look forward to many years of safe, reliable, and efficient operation on behalf of our customers.”

At peak construction, LXP employed nearly 5,000 employees and contractors.

Last March, a segment of the pipeline called the BM-111 Loop, began construction to connect an existing Burlington meter station to the pipeline and then go under the Ohio River to a Ceredo compressor station on the West Virginia side.

Leach Xpress was initially planned by Columbia Gas. TransCanada bought the project, and the Canadian company operates it under the Columbia Gas name. It was approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Jan. 19, 2017.

TransCanada, operates a pipeline network, including 31,000 miles of natural gas pipeline in the U.S., throughout North America and is owner of the Keystone Pipeline, an oil system of which the planned fourth phase, Keystone XL, was rejected by the administration of Barack Obama and later approved by the Donald Trump administration.