Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline has applied for a federal permit for a new compressor station in Oklahoma that will boost natural gas deliveries to Kansas and Missouri.
Southern Star filed an application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Dec. 3, seeing permission for the Cedar Vale Compressor Station Project in Osage County, Okla.
The project will enable Southern Star to add about 98,000 cf/d of natural gas to its network in the area and 38,000 cf/d of incremental capacity in its production area, according to the FERC filing.
The company estimates the cost at $48.4 million. The added gas will serve customers in growing markets around Springfield, Joplin and Kansas City in Missouri, as well as Topeka, Kansas.
Southern Star has an overall network capacity of 2.4 Bcf/d over about 5,800 miles of pipeline and services the Midcontinent and Rocky Mountains.
The company is making the move as several coal-fired power plants in the region near retirement, S&P Global reported Dec. 6. Southern Star also said the extra capacity would help the network avoid price spikes during severe storms, which occurred in the winters of 2022 and 2023.