Natural gas is comprised of hydrocarbon gases, primarily methane (one carbon atom and 4 hydrogen atoms – CH4), and is found far below the earth’s surface, formed from organic material over millions of years. Natural gas is the cleanest burning fossil fuel.
The natural gas industry is considered to be broken down into four main sectors: production, gathering and processing, transmission, and distribution. Natural gas transmission plays a vital role in making natural gas a fuel source able to be used by providing a link between sellers and buyers. Interstate transmission companies transport gas between states. Intrastate transmission companies transport gas within a state.
Process of taking raw natural gas from underground formations.
Process of stripping out impurities and other hydrocarbons and fluids to produce pipeline quality natural gas (95-98% methane).
Process of delivering natural gas from wellhead and processing plants to city gate stations or industrial/electric power generation end users.
A natural gas transmission company generally transports natural gas over its mainlines for delivery to either end use customers, which use the natural gas in their processes (for example industrial customers or electric power generators) or to local distribution companies, which distribute the natural gas to end use customers via low pressure distribution lines.
Process of delivering natural gas from city gate stations to end users (for example, residential and commercial users).
Most gas lines are buried underground in a vast network of large-diameter transmission and distribution pipes called mains. These mains are located across the United States and allow for seamless delivery from the origin point to the end user’s delivery point.
Natural gas transporters also maintain compressor stations, metering stations and valves. The SCADA system provides real-time information with regard to the overall operations of the pipeline. SCADA stands for Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition.
Exemptions Under the Natural Gas Transmission Pipeline Sitting Act