Williams-Transco abandons Northeast Supply Enhancement gas pipeline project
Williams-Transco has notified the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that the company won’t seek an extension of federal approvals for the Northeast Supply Enhancement Project, which would have included a gas fracking pipeline under the Raritan Bay and a large compressor station in Franklin Township.
The company’s approvals for the project expire in May. The $1 billion project was designed to expand Transco’s existing fossil gas transmission system through Pennsylvania and New Jersey to New York.
A new gas powered compressor station called the Greenfield Compressor Station was being planned on a 52-acre parcel of land near the intersection of Routes 27 and 518 in Franklin Township bordering South Brunswick. The station would have inlcuded a 32,000-horsepower, natural-gas powered twin turbine compressor. Williams-Transco wanted to build the station and a 27-mile pipeline extension to deliver more natural gas to residents of New York.
In May 2019, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a certificate of public convenience and necessity to Williams Transco for the project under the Natural Gas Act. In May 2021, the commission granted Williams Transco an extension of time to build the project.
The company’s decision not to move forward is a win for environmental groups that opposed the project, including the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, the Eastern Environmental Law Center, Food and Water Watch, the Central Jersey Safe Energy Coalition, the NY/NJ Baykeeper, and the Princeton Manor Homeowners’ Association.
“Transco’s defeat is a testament to the strong grassroots opposition across Central Jersey to this dangerous, unnecessary dirty energy project. If we are serious about confronting climate change, these kinds of massive new fossil fuel projects simply cannot be built,” said Food and Water Watch New Jersey State Director Matt Smith in a written statement. “Governor Murphy and the New Jersey legislature must seize this moment to go further by rejecting all proposed fossil fuel projects and advancing legislation that ensures an equitable and fair transition to clean renewable energy.”
Ed Potosnak, executive director of the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters said the project was contrary to the state’s clean energy goals, which include moving away from fossil fuel dependency. “The dangerous project posed a threat to clean air, clean water, wildlife, and the health and safety of our communities,” Potosnak said.
Potosnak said environmental groups must remain vigilant to ensure the project does not resurface in any form.
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Krystal Knapp is the founder of The Jersey Vindicator and the hyperlocal news website Planet Princeton. Previously she was a reporter at The Trenton Times for a decade.