[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 35 (Monday, February 23, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8964-8965]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-4448]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. CP98-230-000]


Questar Pipeline Company; Notice of Request Under Blanket 
Authorization

February 17, 1998.
    Take notice that on February 13, 1998, Questar Pipeline Company 
(Questar), 180 East 100 South Salt Lake City, Utah 84145, filed a prior 
notice request with the Commission in Docket No. CP98-230-000 pursuant 
to Section 157.205 of the Commission's Regulations under the Natural 
Gas Act (NGA) for authorization to increase the maximum certificated 
storage capacity of its Clay Basin storage field (Clay Basin) in 
Daggett County, Utah, under Questar's blanket certificates issued in 
Docket Nos. CP82-491-000 and CP88-650-000 pursuant to Section 7 of the 
NGA, all as more fully set forth in the request which is open to the 
public for inspection.
    Questar proposes to increase (1) the maximum certificated natural 
gas storage capacity at Clay Basin from 110.0 Bcf (46.3 Bcf of working 
gas) to 117.5 Bcf (51.3 Bcf of working gas) and (2) the maximum 
reservoir shut-in pressure from 2,360 psia to 2,517 psia, the original 
gas-in-place discovery pressure. Questar states that no new facilities 
would be required to increase the capacity of Clay Basin. Questar 
further states that the average depth of the storage formation is 5,800 
feet and that the increased storage capacity would be used to provide 
open-access storage services.
    Questar states that it would use 5.0 Bcf of the proposed increased 
capacity for working-gas inventory and 2.5 Bcf of the proposed 
increased capacity for cushion gas to support the additional working-
gas inventory capacity. Questar also states that the additional 5.0 Bcf 
of working-gas capacity would increase the Minimum Required 
Deliverability (MRD) from 385 MMcf of natural gas per day to 427 MMcf 
of natural gas per day.
    Questar explains that (1) the proposed 117.5 Bcf of storage 
inventory capacity equals the original natural gas volume determined to 
be in place at the time of discovery; (2) the increased storage 
inventory reservoir shut-in pressure would not exceed the original gas-
in-place discovery pressure of 2,517 psia; (3) the required number of 
days needed to inject the increased working-gas inventory level of 51.3 
Bcf would be 152 days, well within the 184-day injection season (May 1 
to October 31) provided for in Questar's tariff; (4) the entire 5.0 Bcf 
of expanded working gas capacity

[[Page 8965]]

has been subscribed by two customers; (5) Questar currently has 
adequate pipeline take-away capacity to accommodate the increased 
working-gas inventory; and (6) the cost-of-service associated with the 
required 2.5 Bcf of cushion gas is not presently known but would be 
less than the revenues Questar would receive for storing the 5.0 Bcf of 
newly subscribed working-gas capacity and would be addressed in 
Questar's next Section 4 rate case.
    Questar states that it would provide the increased working-gas 
storage service to two new customers who successfully bid for the 
expanded capacity during an open season held January 15 through January 
30, 1998. Questar would provide the new customers firm service pursuant 
to Questar's FERC Gas Tariff Rate Schedule FSS.
    Any person or the Commission's staff may, within 45 days after the 
Commission has issued this notice, file pursuant to Rule 214 of the 
Commission's Procedural Rules (18 CFR 385.214) a motion to intervene or 
notice of intervention and pursuant to Section 157.205 of the 
Regulations under the NGA (18 CFR 157.205) a protest to the request. If 
no protest is filed within the allowed time, the proposed activity 
shall be deemed to be authorized effective the day after the time 
allowed for filing a protest. If a protest is filed and not withdrawn 
within 30 days after the time allowed for filing a protest, the instant 
request shall be treated as an application for authorization pursuant 
to Section 7 of the NGA.
David P. Boergers,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 98-4448 Filed 2-20-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M