October Newsreel: Energy Transfer Completes Texas Independence Pipeline; Equitable Gas Top in Customer Service and More

The 42-inch Texas Independence pipeline serves the Bossier and Barnett Shale natural gas resource plays in east and north central Texas. Originating just west of Maypearl and ending near Henderson, Independence Pipeline connects the Partnership’s existing central and north Texas infrastructure to its east Texas pipeline network. With the addition of compression, the project may be expanded to transport natural gas volumes in excess of 1.75 Bcf/d.

The Rulison expansion project includes the 10-mile, 24-inch Rulison pipeline and the Holmes Mesa compressor station in Garfield County, CO. These projects are designed to increase capacity of the Partnership’s South Parachute - Rifle pipeline system. The project will also create a new outlet for producers to access the Meeker processing plant at the White River Hub. The Rulison pipeline will initially add more than 70 MMcf/d of capacity with the ability to expand to more than 200 MMcf/d in the future.

Equitable Gas Company Earns Top Industry Performance In Customer Service
Pittsburgh-based Equitable Gas Company, LLC said results from the recent Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission’s annual Customer Service Performance Report indicate continued improvement and top gas industry performance in Pennsylvania for Equitable Gas in customer service.

“Outstanding customer service is a priority for Equitable Gas,” said M. Elise Hyland, president. “Our employees strive to provide courteous, professional and high-quality interactions with our customers. The improvement in Equitable Gas customer satisfaction demonstrates that our employee’s hard work coupled with the significant investments we have made in technology and infrastructure is working.”

Equitable’s call center had top Pennsylvania gas company performance. Its call abandonment rate was the lowest, with only 3%t of customers abandoning their calls prior to speaking to a customer representative, and service level ranked second with 80% of customer calls answered within 30 seconds. No customer received a busy signal when calling the call center. The company tied for first in timeliness of responses to customer disputes, with none exceeding 30 days.

The report includes data from 700 random customer transaction surveys. Equitable ranked first in western Pennsylvania in satisfaction with the ease of reaching the company and use of its automated phone system. Equitable had the top rankings for three field representative categories - courtesy, knowledge and respect for property – with 100% of respondents answering they were either “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” when asked how satisfied they were with a field visit.

As part of its focus on improving customer service through technological improvements, Equitable installed new automated readers on gas meters enabling it to provide customers with bills based on actual monthly meter readings. Equitable launched a Web site in April to assist customers manage accounts online.

EQT Plans Expansion To Accommodate Marcellus Shale Production
Rigzone report that EQT Corp., formerly Equitable Resources, is planning to triple the capacity of its 1,500 mile Equitrans natural gas pipeline network. EQT has amassed 3.4 million acres of leases across the Appalachian Basin where it can drill new natural gas wells, including 400,000 acres in the gas-rich Marcellus Shale region of Pennsylvania and bordering states.