The Rockies Express Pipeline is a long high-pressure

natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...

pipeline system from the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

to eastern

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. The pipeline system consists of three sections running through eight states. It is one of the largest natural gas pipelines ever built in North America.

History

The final section of the pipeline was completed on 12 November 2009.

Technical description

The diameter of long pipeline system varies between , being primarily . The capacity of the pipeline is . It operates at a maximum allowable operating pressure of . The initial cost of the pipeline was around US$5 billion.

REX — Entrega (Zone 1)

REX — Entrega is the long former Entrega Pipeline between the Meeker Hub in

Rio Blanco County, Colorado Rio Blanco County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,529. The county seat is Meeker. The name of the county is the Spanish language name for the White River which runs through it. H ...

, and the Cheyenne Hub in

Weld County, Colorado Weld County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 328,981. The county seat is Greeley. Weld County comprises the Greeley, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Denver ...

. Construction of this pipeline was authorized in August 2005. The pipeline project was acquired by Rockies Express Pipeline, LLC in February 2006. The long segment from the Meeker Hub to the Wamsutter Hub in

Sweetwater County, Wyoming Sweetwater County is a county in southwestern Wyoming, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 42,272, making it the fourth-most populous county in Wyoming. Its county seat is Green River. By area, it is the larges ...

, is a pipeline, which has been in service since February 2006. The long segment from the Wamsutter Hub to the Cheyenne Hub in Weld County, Colorado, is a pipeline, which has been in service since February 2007.

REX — West (Zone 2)

REX — West is a long pipeline from Weld County, Colorado, to

Audrain County, Missouri Audrain County is a county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,962. Its county seat is Mexico. The county was organized December 13, 1836, and named for Colonel James Hunter Au ...

. It has a long branch connecting pipeline with the Williams Energy owned Echo Springs Processing Plant. On 31 May 2006, the Rockies Express Pipeline filed an application to construct and operate this section. The construction approval was issued by the

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is the United States federal agency that regulates the transmission and wholesale sale of electricity and natural gas in interstate commerce and regulates the transportation of oil by pipeline in ...

(FERC) on 20 April 2007. The first long segment of this pipeline was commissioned on 27 December 2007, and the second long segment was commissioned on 16 May 2008. It is in full service since 16 May 2008.

REX — East (Zone 3)

REX — East is a long pipeline from Audrain County, Missouri, to

Clarington Clarington (2021 population 101,427) is a lower-tier municipality in the Regional Municipality of Durham in Ontario, Canada. It was incorporated in 1973 as the town of Newcastle with the merging of the town of Bowmanville, the Village of Newcastl ...

Monroe County, Ohio Monroe County is a county located on the eastern border of the U.S. state of Ohio, across the Ohio River from West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,385, making it the second-least populous county in Ohio. Its county seat ...

. The Rockies Express Pipeline filed an application to construct and operate this section on 30 April 2007 and the FERC issued approval on 30 May 2008. In June 2014, REX placed the Seneca Lateral into initial service and in January 2015, the Seneca Lateral was placed into full service with the ability to move approximately onto the REX mainline in Zone 3. On August 1, 2015, REX placed its Zone 3 East-to-West Project into service, making Zone 3 of the mainline fully bi-directional with the ability to move approximately of Appalachian production to Midcontinent markets. The diameter of long pipeline system varies between , being primarily .The capacity of the pipeline is . It operates at a maximum allowable operating pressure of . The initial cost of the pipeline was around US$5 billion. REX has filed with FERC for a expansion of its Zone 3 east-to-west capacity, via compression additions. This project is anticipated to be completed in Q4 2016.

Partnership

The pipeline is operated by Rockies Express Pipeline, LLC, a partnership between

Tallgrass Energy Partners Tallgrass is a leading infrastructure company focused on safely, reliably, and sustainably delivering energy. Based in Kansas City, Kansas with an operational headquarters in Denver, Colorado, and a large office in Houston, Texas, the company op ...

, Phillips 66 and Sempra Energy. In February 2006, Kinder Morgan Energy Partners and Sempra Energy acquired Entrega Gas Pipeline Inc., from EnCana Corporation. In June 2006, ConocoPhillips acquired 24% of the project. ConocoPhillips spun off the downstream part of its business in May 2012.

Environmental concerns

The pipeline project has raised some environmental concerns. Ohio officials have asked to avoid crossing the Big Darby Creek in

Pickaway County Pickaway County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 58,539. Its county seat is Circleville, Ohio, Circleville. Its name derives from the Pekowi band o ...

and the

Little Miami River The Little Miami River ( sjw, Cakimiyamithiipi) is a Class I tributary of the Ohio River that flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed May 26, 2011 through five counties ...

Warren County Warren County is the name of fourteen counties in the USA. Some are named after General Joseph Warren, who was killed in the Battle of Bunker Hill in the American Revolutionary War: * Warren County, Georgia * Warren County, Illinois * Warren County ...

within

Caesar Creek State Park Caesar Creek State Park is a public recreation area located in southwestern Ohio, five miles (8 km) east of Waynesville, in Warren, Clinton, and Greene counties. The park is leased by the State from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who ...

because of the risk of harming fish and other wildlife posed by drilling the pipeline beneath the rivers. A Lawsuit by American Energy Corporation was filed against REX over the disruption of coal mine owned by AEC beneath REX. In light of past pipeline accidents, where subsiding abandoned mines have caused pipelines to fail, the wisdom of the location of that part of the REX pipeline is of concern to pipeline industry critics.

References

External links

Rockies Express Pipeline

{{Phillips 66 Natural gas pipelines in the United States Energy in Colorado Energy in Missouri Energy in Ohio Phillips 66 Sempra Energy Energy infrastructure completed in 2009 Natural gas pipelines in Colorado Natural gas pipelines in Wyoming Natural gas pipelines in Nebraska Natural gas pipelines in Kansas Natural gas pipelines in Missouri Natural gas pipelines in Illinois Natural gas pipelines in Indiana Natural gas pipelines in Ohio