Natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale can fuel a bright economic future1 for Pennsylvania. Producing wells can yield valuable benefits in royalties, tax dollars and local revenue streams that will help keep Pennsylvania’s economy strong. Yet before all the economic benefits of the Marcellus Shale can be realized, pipelines and compressors must be in place to move the gas to market — and eventually to power America’s energy needs.
With several decades of technology standing behind construction and installation methods, pipelines are the safest and most cost-effective means to transport natural gas.* More than two million miles of natural gas pipelines currently crisscross our country.** Just as you encounter electrical power lines in your daily travels, you pass by pipelines everyday. Unlike power lines, pipelines remain for the most part, unseen.
Planning and constructing pipelines is significantly more involved than simply connecting point A to point B, particularly in urban and environmentally sensitive areas.
From route development to site restoration, many factors are taken into account when laying pipelines. Factors considered both above and below the ground include pipeline constructability, effects on the environment, impacts on community life and existing infrastructure. As a result, communication and understanding between all parties is necessary for the successful construction of pipelines and compressor stations that will transport natural gas from the wellhead to the market.
* U.S. Department of Transportation
** U.S. Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
Pipelines and compressor stations are an integral part of producing and delivering natural gas. Without pipelines, natural gas cannot be economically transported and sold at market to provide clean energy, royalty payments and other benefits to the community. Compressor stations keep natural gas flowing efficiently through a pipeline network. Each element works safely in tandem with the other to complete the natural gas delivery process.
Distribution lines carry natural gas to homes and businesses, while gathering lines move the gas from a wellsite to a compressor station or a main transmission line, the “interstate highway” system for natural gas. Existing gathering lines are not always available in areas where drilling operations are taking place. If they are, natural gas companies make every effort to utilize them.
Appalachia Midstream Services (AMS) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Chesapeake Midstream Operating, L.L.C. (CMO). AMS is the entity which owns the physical gathering assets that provide gathering service to both the upstream Chesapeake entity and other involved parties. AMS owns assets in many areas of the Appalachia Basin including Pennsylvania.
Sourcing Reference:
1
Penn State University “An Emerging Giant: Prospects and Economic Impacts of Developing the Marcellus Shale Natural Gas Play.” Timothy Considine, Ph.D. and Robert Watson, Ph.D. August 5, 2009