OGDEN -- Construction on the Ruby Pipeline could begin any day now.
The Bureau of Land Management gave the pipeline a temporary-use permit and right-of-way grant in mid-July.
With those granted, pipeline officials expect a notice to proceed from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission at any time, said Richard Wheatley, spokesman for Ruby Pipeline LLC, a subsidiary of El Paso Corp.
Once they have notice to proceed, Wheatley said, the company will immediately begin construction.
"We are anxiously awaiting the FERC final action, and that will allow us to begin the project," he said.
While officials hoped to begin in June, Wheatley said they are close enough to the original timeline that their goal is still to complete and have the pipeline operational by March.
The 675-mile pipeline will begin at the Opal Hub in western Wyoming, cross Northern Utah and Nevada and terminate at Malin, Ore.
The 42-inch diameter pipeline will be able to deliver 1.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day and will cost close to $3 billion to build.
Building the pipeline is expected to create 5,000 to 6,000 construction jobs.
Once built, the pipeline will employ as many as 10 people at each of four compressor stations along the route, Wheatley said.
He said the company recently completed a draft memorandum of understanding with state historic preservation offices for Utah, Wyoming, Nevada and Oregon.
Those agreements legally must be filed to address all cultural, historical and archeological issues with the project and will be finalized by the individual states.
Comments