State board considering power project


By Tom McParland

tmcparland@vindy.com

NEW MIDDLETOWN

The state board that issues certificates for major utility projects is reviewing a proposal that would bring power to the Hickory Bend cryogenic gas-processing plant operated by Pennant Midstream, a subsidiary of NiSource Midstream Services LLC and NiSource Inc.

On Jan. 10, the Ohio Power Siting Board received a letter of notification from American Systems Inc. and Ohio Edison Co., subsidiaries of FirstEnergy Co., applying to construct a 3.5-mile-long transmission line that would run electricity from the 138-kilovolt Lowellville-Sammis line to the Hickory Bend plant.

Sarah Barczyk, a spokeswoman for NiSource Midstream, said the planned line would carry 138 kilovolts of electricity to the plant, which will separate wet and dry natural gas from the Utica Shale. There is no permanent power source currently sustaining the facility, she added.

The Siting Board placed the project on its accelerated-application process, meaning that it will be automatically approved in 90 days unless its seven voting members elect to suspend it.

The applicants were required to provide public notice of the plans by publishing notice of the application in local newspapers within seven days of the filing. They also sent a copy of the application to the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County’s Springfield branch in New Middletown.

There is a 10-day window for public intervention and comment while the application is before the board.

The Siting Board launched its own staff investigation into the application, and any recommended conditions will be automatically adopted to the final proposal before the board.

Board members could vote to suspend the measure for up to 90 days, which would lead to an ultimate board decision.

If no such vote occurs, the application would be automatically approved 90 days after its initial filing.

NiSource Midstream announced earlier this month the facility is operation ready, but it is awaiting natural gas from regional producers.

Mark Durbin, a spokesman for FirstEnergy, said the transmission line tap is a $4.8 million project for FirstEnergy, adding that the company is looking to start construction by the middle of February.

If the Siting Board approves the application without suspension, it could be in service by November, he added.