Piedmont Natural Gas to build LNG Peak Shaving Plant in North Carolina

Piedmont Natural Gas announced last week plans to build and operate an LNG peaking and storage facility with the ability to serve roughly 100,000 homes on a cold day. The LNG facility will be located in Robeson County, North Carolina, roughly halfway between Maxton and Red Springs.

The facility will help Piedmont Natural Gas provide customers with a reliable supply of natural gas during peak usage days.

"We continually make investments in our natural gas infrastructure as part of our commitment to providing safe, reliable and affordable natural gas for our customers," said Frank Yoho, president of natural gas operations. "This facility is the most cost-effective solution to meet peak-day demand."

The 1 billion-cubic-foot (Bcf) storage facility will cover approximately 50 acres of a 685-acre piece of Piedmont-owned property. Construction is expected to begin in the summer of 2019 with an estimated completion date in the summer of 2021.

The project, estimated to cost approximately $250 million, will be the fourth LNG facility Piedmont owns and operates. Piedmont Natural Gas is a subsidiary of Duke Energy.