Mar 16, 2015 2 min read

Columbia Gas Transmission is moving forward with plans to replace an aging natural gas transmission pipeline that runs through parts of Allegheny, Washington and Greene counties.

The company’s preferred route for the tri-county project is awaiting approval from the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, according to Columbia spokesman Scott Castleman. An application was filed for consideration Feb. 20.

A line that runs from the company’s Hero compressor station on the West Virginia border to its Waynesburg compressor station is expected to be replaced next year, Castleman said.

Another leg of the project will be done in two phases with an anticipated completion date in 2017. It includes a 10-mile section from the company’s Redd Farm compressor station in Amwell Township to its Sharp Farm metering station just north of Houston. Another portion is a seven-mile stretch from the Sharp Farm station to a Columbia Gas delivery point in North Fayette Township.

Castleman said it is necessary to replace pipeline infrastructure to improve public safety, customer reliability and service.

“Bare steel pipelines were widely installed throughout the country for the transmission of natural gas until the 1970s,” he said in an email. “Current standards require the use of corrosion-resistant materials that improve the overall safety, integrity and reliability of the pipeline.”

Most of the old pipeline will be removed from the ground as new pipeline is being laid. In some areas, Columbia will establish a new path away from the existing pipeline to minimize the impact to communities and the environment, Castleman said.

“In those cases, the retired pipeline is removed from service, thoroughly cleaned and then purged of natural gas,” he said. “After purging, the retired pipeline is sealed at both ends, typically by affixing end closures, welding steel plates to pipe ends, pinching ends shut and welding or plugging ends with a suitable material.”