The Alton Natural Gas Storage Project involves the construction and operation of a natural gas storage facility in Nova Scotia. The facility will consist of several solution-mined caverns to be brined out of a large, structurally stable salt formation.
Salt cavern storage facilities have several advantages over the much more common depleted reservoir facilities. Operating costs and maintenance tends to be lower. Requirements for cushion gas, gas that is injected into the facility to maintain operational pressures, also tends to be lower. Most interestingly, salt cavern facilities typically have greater injection/withdrawal rates than do depleted reservoirs, which typically turn over their gas once per year. It is possible that Alton would be able to cycle its inventory four times per year. This sort of performance has benefits in more volatile markets.
Currently there are no underground gas storage facilities north of Boston along the Maritimes and Northeast Pipeline route, which runs from Nova Scotia to the northeastern United States.
Site Attributes:
- Direct access to the valued U.S. North East market via the international Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline (M&NP).
- Growing local market that currently does not have any storage facilities to help meet peak demand needs.
- Value added infrastructure to support the region's continued growth and diversification of every sector.
- Storage capacity of 1 billion cubic feet per day.
- Ability to deliver natural gas from storage at the turn of a tap allowing stakeholders to manage their supply needs.
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