Gas Pipeline Costs Run Higher

Gas pipeline costs are running higher partially due to rising material and labor costs but also because of protracted regulatory battles that are pushing legal bills higher. Before 2010, once a pipeline company secured the necessary Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) certificates, it was all but guaranteed that pipeline construction would begin with an in-service date (ISD) to follow shortly behind. Now, due to grassroots resistance, just because a pipeline gets a FERC certificate does not mean the pipeline ISD is imminent. Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) and Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) are the latest examples of the potential state and federal flip-flopping that can go on during construction. Here we look at how and why gas pipeline costs run higher. 

State Permits and Anti-Fossil Fuel Agendas 

As shown above, pipelines trying to bridge low-cost natural gas supply in Northeast Pennsylvania with premium demand markets in New England and New York City are fraught with regulatory risk. Many of these projects have been held up by state permits which can be used by state governors to drive forward an anti-fossil fuel agenda for political gain. For example, BTU Analytics nicknamed the New York-Pennsylvania border the "Wall of Cuomo," which has held up many a proposed pipeline project including the Constitution pipeline in 2016. With Governor Murphy taking office in New Jersey in January 2018 and using similar tactics as Cuomo on gas pipeline development, we are watching the potential for the "Wall of Murphy."

Below is a table showing mostly greenfield pipelines that are aiming to debottleneck Appalachia with ISDs from 2018 to 2020. For reference, we have added regulatory hold-up/canceled pipelines such as William’s Constitution pipeline and Kinder Morgan’s Northeast Energy Direct, respectively. We have also included in-service pipes in other regions such as Rockies Express (REX), which went into service in 2009, Sabal Trail, which went into service in 2017, and new projects moving towards construction in Oklahoma and the Permian such as Midship and Gulf Coast Express. 

Looking at the current Appalachian greenfield pipes, there are two important takeaways:

1. Every pipeline requires at minimum $1 billion or more of invested capital
2. The combination of Rover, Atlantic Sunrise, Nexus, ACP, MVP, and PennEast represents $18.7 billion of investment at an average cost of $9.9 million per mile

In 2009, REX was a bargain at just $3 million per mile despite it being one of the most expensive projects as measured by total costs. 

Other Contributors to Higher Pipeline Development Costs 

Terrain and the level of urbanization also play a significant role in pipeline development costs. In Appalachia, hilly and forested terrain drives costs higher versus the flatter terrain of the Great Plains, Midwest, and Texas. Additionally, pipelines in Appalachia, New England, and the Atlantic Seaboard must contend with rivers and population centers that heighten the regulatory risk and costs for a pipeline. For comparison, the new Gulf Coast Express pipeline originating in the Permian and crossing the mostly flat, arid, and unpopulated Southwest corner of Texas is only 18% more expensive on a cost-per-mile basis than REX even though it will go into service over 10 years later.  

Midship pipeline in Oklahoma is similarly lower cost on a cost-per-mile basis. Meanwhile, comparing Constitution estimated costs in 2014 to current Appalachian greenfields, we see Atlantic Sunrise running on a cost-per-mile basis at 139% more than Constitution. Additionally, comparing the Appalachian projects to the Sabal pipeline in Florida, which also had to contend with population centers and regulatory scrutiny, all the Appalachian pipes are nearly equal to or above Sabal’s development costs on a per-mile basis. 

Conclusion 

How much regulatory delay costs is hard to quantify. In the case of some pipelines, the expense may be the ultimate in that the pipeline never gets built. For other pipelines, we will have to watch how cost overruns come in as these Appalachian greenfields go into service—some may revise significantly higher. To follow midstream development more closely, request more information on BTU Analytics’ Northeast Gas Outlook or Upstream Outlook reports. 

This article was originally published on the BTU Analytics website.  

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