USA: Sempra Pipelines & Storage Announces Successful Start-up of Mississippi Hub Gas Storage Facility

Sempra Pipelines & Storage, a unit of Sempra Energy, today announced that its Mississippi Hub natural gas storage facility is now operational, as the first of its two caverns is placed in service.

“This is a significant milestone demonstrating our capabilities in developing greenfield midstream projects and our continued commitment to the development of natural gas storage projects in North America,” said George S. Liparidis, president and chief executive officer of Sempra Pipelines & Storage.

“Mississippi Hub will provide high-quality storage services to expanding markets while serving a robust region for natural gas supply.“ Located at the Bond Salt Dome in Simpson County, Miss., Mississippi Hub is strategically positioned to access the shale basins of east Texas and Louisiana, traditional gas supplies in the Gulf of Mexico and along the U.S. Gulf Coast, as well as liquefied natural gas imports.

With its multiple interstate pipeline interconnects, the facility is ideally located to serve growing demand centers in the southeast and northeast regions of the U.S. Mississippi Hub’s Cavern 1 is designed to provide up to 10-cycle service on 7.5 Bcf of working gas capacity.

Pipeline interconnects will include: Southern Natural Gas, Southeast Supply Header and Transcontinental Gas Pipeline.

A second cavern, which will add an additional 7.5 Bcf of working gas storage capacity, is currently under construction at the facility and is slated for completion in the second quarter of 2012.

Sempra Pipelines & Storage develops, builds and operates natural gas pipelines and storage facilities throughout North America.

The company and its affiliates currently operate and own 19 Bcf of storage capacity, with plans to develop as much as 75 Bcf by 2015 to help meet North America’s growing demand for natural gas storage.

Sempra Pipelines & Storage also manages natural gas and electricity distribution in Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Peru and the U.S. Sempra Pipelines and Storage is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy, a San Diego-based Fortune 500 energy services holding company.

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Source: Sempra Energy, September 1, 2010