Houston Pipe Line Receives Presidential Permit

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on April 1, in accordance with a March 20 FERC order issuing a Presidential Permit, granted Houston Pipe Line Company’s (HPL) request to commence construction of the company’s Border Crossing Project in Hidalgo County, Texas.

HPL in October 2013 submitted an application to site, construct and operate natural gas pipeline facilities to export and import natural gas between the U.S. and Mexico at a point between Hidalgo County and Reynosa, Tamaulipas.

According to the application, HPL proposed extending its intrastate pipeline system by constructing approximately 23 miles of pipeline from a point on its existing 24-inch Edinburg Lateral in Hidalgo County to the Border Crossing Project as well as a short stub line on the Mexico side of the International Border. The stub line will redeliver natural gas supplies into the pipeline system owned by PEMEX Pipeline.

The Border Crossing Project will consist of approximately 703 feet of 24-inch pipeline to be installed by a horizontal directional drill that will extend from the terminus of the Edinburg Extension on the north side of the Rio Grande River, and traverse under the Rio Grande River to the middle of the river bed at the International Boundary with Mexico. The pipeline portion of the horizontal directional drill and other facilities to be built on the Mexico side of the International Boundary will be subject to the jurisdiction of the Republic of Mexico and constructed by an affiliate of HPL.

Principal use for the natural gas transported though the Border Crossing Project facilities will be to fuel gas-fired electric generation plants and supply potential industrial customers in northern Mexico, the company said. The Border Crossing Project facilities will have a design capacity of approximately 140 million cubic feet per day and a maximum allowable operating pressure of 1,300 pounds per square inch gauge. HPL estimated that the project will cost approximately $1.1 million.