The redesign work will result in 88 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) of additional processing capacity, increasing the total natural gas processing capacity of the plant by 11 percent to 878 MMcf/d. The project included changing the treating solution in two of the existing six processing trains and the addition of equipment to process the resulting increased volume of raw natural gas.

The Fort Nelson plant processes natural gas from gathering fields in the Fort Nelson area, the southern Northwest Territories and the Yukon. The gas then flows from the outlet of the Fort Nelson plant to DEGT’s BC Mainline and on to key markets in British Columbia, the U.S. Pacific Northwest and beyond.

“Prior to the redesign, our Fort Nelson processing facility was fully contracted and the redesign project was supported by long-term customer commitments. With growing producer activity in the Fort Nelson and southern Northwest Territories areas, we are very excited about future prospects,” said Doug Haughey, president, BC Pipeline and Field Services divisions, Duke Energy Gas Transmission.

DEGT submitted the required application to the NEB in January 2002 and received NEB approval to construct in May.  “We appreciate the NEB’s efforts to ensure a timely approval of this project. The speed with which we have been able to bring these facilities into service has enabled us to meet our customers’ needs in an extremely timely fashion,” continued Haughey.

Duke Energy Gas Transmission is a North American leader in developing energy infrastructure and connecting major natural gas supply basins to growing markets. The company’s natural gas operations include more than 18,900 miles of interstate transmission pipeline and 250 billion cubic feet of storage capacity in Canada and the United States. More information on DEGT can be found at www.degt.duke-energy.com.

Duke Energy is a diversified multinational energy company with an integrated network of energy assets and expertise. The company manages a dynamic portfolio of natural gas and electric supply, delivery and trading businesses – meeting the energy needs of customers throughout North America and in key markets around the world. Duke Energy, headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is a Fortune 500 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available on the Internet at: www.duke-energy.com.