STATE OF CALIFORNIA
PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION

 

Wild Goose Storage, Inc. Expansion Project
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INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the California Public Utilities Commission’s (CPUC) Wild Goose Storage Expansion Project Web site.  Wild Goose Storage, Inc. (WGSI) filed an application (Application Number 01-06-029) with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on June 18, 2001, for an amended Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN). The application requests authorization to expand the permitted storage and operational capacity of the existing Wild Goose Gas Storage Filed located in Butte County, California.  The application also seeks approval to construct a 25.6-mile pipeline from the WGSI Remote Facility Site (RFS) to the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) Line 400/401 transmission pipeline in Colusa County.

BACKGROUND

The CPUC initially granted WGSI a CPCN on June 25, 1997, to develop, construct, and operate an underground natural gas storage facility in Butte County, California and to provide firm and interruptible storage services at market-based rates. That approval entitled WGSI to:

 

         Construct and operate (including the injection and withdrawal of natural gas) a new Well Pad atop the depleted Wild Goose Gas Field.

         Construct a bi-directional pipeline (Loop Pipeline) from the Well Pad to a new remote operating facility.

        Construct a remote operating facility (Remote Facility Site) where all operations of the storage field would be managed and monitored (see Figure 1.2-1).

Initial development and construction of the WGSI project was completed in April 1999. The CPUC's initail approval of the WGSI project authorized the use of one of the Wild Goose Gas Field's twelve gas storage zones (L4). Zone L4 is authorized for the maximum storage of 14 billion cubic feet (bcf) of natural gas. The Commission's approval also limited the daily injection and withdrawal of gas into and from the Field to 80 million cubic feet per day (Mmcfd) and 200 Mmcfd, respectively.

PROJECTION DESCRIPTION

The proposed project would expand WGSI's permitted storage capacity from 14 to 29 bcf, with daily injection/withdrawl rates of 450 Mmcfd and 700 Mmcfd respectively.

Four project components have been proposed to expand storage capacity and increase injection/withdrawal rates:

         Expansion of the existing Well Pad Site

         Construction of a second Storage Loop Pipeline

         Expansion of the Remote Facility Site

         Construction of the Line 400/401 Connection Pipeline and Delevan Interconnect Facility

Well Pad Site

WGSI proposed expansion of the existing well pad site to provide for the added storage and injection/withdrawal capacity. Expansion of the Well Pad was designed to accommodate the drilling of up to 16 new wells. The new wells would be used for injection/withdrawal and observation, and would be drilled into the Wild Goose reservoir Zones L1, U1, and U2. The Well Pad expansion would displace approximately 1.4 acres of wetland, and would require up to 26,000 cubic yards of structural fill material and 1,000 cubic yards of soil for elevation of the Well Pad site and construction of a perimeter berm.

Storage Loop Pipeline

WGSI has proposed construction of a second 18-inch diameter bi-directional Loop Pipeline to convey the additional gas volumes between the reservoir and the Remote Facility Site. A fiber optic cable would be installed with this pipeline. The Pipeline and cable would be installed in the same right-of-way as the existing Loop Pipeline.

Remote Facility Site

The added capacity of the Wild Goose reservoir would require expansion of the Remote Facility Site. The site now serves as the operational base for the WGSI facilities and includes the equipment required to receive gas from the PG&E transmission system, to inject and withdraw gas from the reservoir, and to prepare it for reintroduction into the PG&E system. The project would add three additional natural gas-fueled engines with three additional compressors. These new engines would produce a total of up to 14,400 horsepower.

Expansion of the Remote Facility Site would include:

  • Expansion of the lease area by 5.8 acres to a total of 11.9 acres
  • Three additional natural gas-fueled engines and compressors producing up to 14,400 horsepower
  • Up to 6 additional produced-water storage tanks with a total capacity of 200,000 gallons
  • Dehydration units and reboilers
  • Natural gas coolers
  • A relief vent for pressure relief from the compressor station piping
  • A new 1,000-gallon glycol supply/drain tank
  • A standby generator

Line 400/401 Connection Pipeline and Delevan Interconnect Facility

Gas would be conveyed to and from the WGSI facilities from PG&E's Line 400/401 gas transmission pipeline, which runs in a north-south direction along the west side of the upper Sacramento Valley. The proposed Pipeline, which would be up to 36-inches in diameter, would connect the Remote Facility Site to the PG&E Line 400/401 Pipeline at the Delevan Compressor Station. Two fiber optic communication cables, one primary and one back-up, would be installed in the Pipeline trench to allow remote operation of valves and data acquisition by the project applicant.

A new interconnect facility with valves, metering, and pressure monitoring equipment would be constructed adjacent to PG&E's Delevan Compressor Station. The Delevan Interconnect Facility would consist of a graveled lot with a small pre-engineered metal building that would house the site's instrumentation electronics and monitoring equipment.

APPROACH TO ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The CPUC is conducting its review of the potential environmental impacts that could result from implementation of the project. The review is being conducted in accordance with CEQA and the CEQA Guidelines and CPUC CEQA Rules 17.1. All government agencies in California are required to consider whether their decisions would result in significant impacts on the environment and, if so, to take actions to eliminate, avoid, compensate for, or reduce those impacts to a less than significant level.

In conducting the environmental review, the CPUC first examined and verified information provided by WGSI in the Application and PEA concerning the potential environmental impacts of the proposed project, including air quality, water quality, noise, public health and safety, utilities and services, geology and mineral resources, aesthetics, and biological resources. The CPUC then consulted with government agencies that have permitting or statutory authority over all or part of the project or who have specialized knowledge of the project area. The CPUC conducted additional studies and analyses as needed to identiry any potentially significant impacts and identifies measures, called mitigation measures, that would avoid, eliminate, compensate for, or reduce any such impacts to a less than significant level.

Feasible mitigation measures are identified in this EIR for impacts that could be considered potentially significant. The measures are designed to reduce the impact to a less than significant level. In many cases, WGSI proposed design features or mitigation measures as part of the project that would reduce impacts. For other potential impacts, the CPUC has identified additional mitigation measures in addition to those proposed by WGSI.

The CPUC is seeking comments on this EIR. The CPUC will respond to comments on the EIR, conduct additional analysis as necessary, and modify mitigation measures as appropriate. If the CPUC approves the project, CPUC stafff would closely monitor WGSI's compliance with the requirements imposed by the mitigation measures.

 

 
Michael Rosauer, CPUC Project Manager
C/o MHA Environmental Consulting, Inc.
4 West Fourth Street, Suite 303
San Mateo, CA 94402
Project e-mail: wildgoose@mha-inc.com
Voice: (650)373-1200 Facisimile: (650)373-1211

 

 

  

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