Tres Palacios Gas Storage LLC (Tres Palacios) is seeking Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) authorization to expand its natural gas storage capacity at the existing Tres Palacios natural gas storage facility in Matagorda County, Texas, as part of its Tres Palacios Gas Storage Expansion project.
Specifically, Tres Palacios proposes to convert and incorporate an existing third-party brine production well into an additional natural gas storage cavern; construct a 0.6-mile (1-km), 16-in. (406-mm) pipeline connecting Cavern 4 to the storage facility; install a new 5500-hp (4103-kW) electric motor-driven (EMD) reciprocating compressor unit; add a new dehydration unit; abandon in place a 15,300-hp (11,414-kW) EMD centrifugal compressor unit; and construct various appurtenances. The purpose of the project is to add approximately 6.5 Bscf (184 × 106 m3) of new working gas capacity and 3.5 Bscf (99.1 × 106 m3) of base gas capacity to its facilities.
Once the existing 15,300-hp EMD is abandoned in place and the new 5500-hp EMD is installed, the total horsepower at the storage facility will decrease from 39,300 to 29,500 hp (29,318 to 22,007 kW). Tres Palacios confirms the storage facility will continue to meet its certificated injection and withdrawal rates despite the change in power.
