FERC Approves Cove Point Expansion and Rejects WGL’s Gas Composition Claims
At today’s Commission meeting, the FERC Commissioners voted to issue an order approving with conditions the proposed expansion of the Cove Point LNG terminal. In response to a question from Commissioner Nora Mead Brownell regarding WGL’s allegations about gas leaks on its system caused by LNG, FERC Staff stated that LNG from Cove Point was not a significant cause of the leaks on WGL’s system. The Commission appeared to dismiss WGL’s allegations, saying that other factors such as the application of hot tar as a sealant, the age of the seals, and cold weather are more likely to have impacted the distribution system’s couplings. Commissioner Suedeen Kelly noted that the approval of the Cove Point expansion would facilitate efforts to augment natural gas supply and stabilize prices in the mid-Atlantic region.