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St. Lawrence Gas extension from Norfolk into Franklin County approved by state commission

Posted 2/17/11

ALBANY -- The New York State Public Service Commission has approved St. Lawrence Gas’s plan to extend its pipeline into Franklin County. The pipeline would extend 48 miles into northern Franklin …

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St. Lawrence Gas extension from Norfolk into Franklin County approved by state commission

Posted

ALBANY -- The New York State Public Service Commission has approved St. Lawrence Gas’s plan to extend its pipeline into Franklin County.

The pipeline would extend 48 miles into northern Franklin County from the company’s existing pipeline in eastern St. Lawrence County.

In addition, the commission authorized a new 50-mile network of distribution lines to expand the natural gas delivery service to nearly 2,500 customers in the two counties.

“The objective of this expansion is to introduce natural gas as another alternative for customers in places where the only fuel options at this time are oil, propane, coal, and wood,”

“The high cost of energy has made it difficult to farm, do business, and attract jobs, and has increased the cost of living for local residents,” said Commission Chairman Garry Brown. “New businesses, existing farms and other businesses and the residents in the project area can benefit from the availability of natural gas. This expansion will have a large and positive impact on the region’s economic viability.”

The project’s construction phase and customer savings will result in millions of additional dollars of revenue to the state and Franklin and St. Lawrence counties, the commission said. The total customer savings statewide is estimated to equal $60 million dollars over 20 years, and that savings is expected to generate an additional $32 million statewide in direct and indirect spending. The total fiscal impact of the construction activity and customer savings is expected to equal $1.7 million in additional state tax revenue over 20 years. Regionally, the economic impacts will include an additional $10.6 million generated from the expenditure of the customer savings over 20 years.

The pipeline extension will be a steel transmission line with varying diameters of eight, six, and four inches, pressurized to a maximum of 500 pounds per square inch. It will be connected with the company’s 10-inch diameter line in the Town of Norfolk, and continue about 48 miles to the Village of Chateaugay.

The company will be able to deliver gas through franchises in Winthrop, Brasher Falls, and North Lawrence, in St. Lawrence County, and Moira, North Bangor, Brushton, Malone, Burke, and Chateaugay, in Franklin County. The company estimates that the new transmission and distribution lines will enable it to add two industrial customers, 372 commercial or institutional customers, and 2,113 residential customers in the project’s first five years.