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NYSE: GAS $36.81 -0.13
May 18 2012 3:48PM ET
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Salt Dome Storage
Natural gas has been safely stored underground for more than 60 years. Salt dome caverns, spaces hollowed out of huge salt formations approximately a half-mile to a mile underground, are covered by thousands of feet of rock and other materials, protecting the facility from fire, willful damage and other hazards. The extreme geologic conditions at cavern depth make the salt walls rock hard and virtually impermeable – an excellent container for natural gas, oil and other hydrocarbons.
Natural gas and other energy sources, including oil in the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve, are stored in salt dome caverns along the Gulf Coast. Some 47 of these caverns currently store natural gas, including 26 in Texas, with more planned.
Engineers carefully control the amount of water used to shape the cavern and use sonar to check on progress during the construction phase. Once the cavern is complete and “de-watered” - all the brine is removed - it is rigorously tested. Then the cavern is ready to begin storing natural gas. The natural gas travels to the site through a pipeline and is pumped into storage. As needed, the gas is withdrawn and transported to customers.
The proposed GTS Expansion Project will involve development of two additional salt dome natural gas storage caverns, associated service corridors and access roads. The service corridors will include a raw water supply pipeline, brine return pipeline, and natural gas pipeline to connect to existing facilities, and an electric duct bank for power supply and control wiring. All of the proposed new facilities will be located within GTS' existing central storage site, an approximately 90-acre area for which GTS has a long-term lease for construction and operation of natural gas storage facilities. No new landowners will be impacted by the proposed GTS Expansion Project.
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