TULSA, Okla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Williams Partners L.P. (NYSE: WPZ) announced today that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has approved an application for Transco’s Garden State Expansion Project, a fully contracted expansion project to deliver 180,000 dekatherms a day of additional natural gas capacity for local distribution to thousands of customers in New Jersey.

The Garden State Expansion Project consists of additional compression to provide firm natural gas transportation service and increased reliability to New Jersey Natural Gas, which serves more than half a million customers in New Jersey’s Monmouth, Ocean and parts of Morris, Middlesex, Sussex and Burlington counties.

The project will provide firm transportation from Transco’s Zone 6 Station 210 Pooling Point in Mercer County, N.J. to a new interconnection on its Trenton Woodbury Lateral in Burlington County, N.J. Williams Partners will coordinate with New Jersey Natural Gas on construction dates and other activities.

“We look forward to continuing to provide New Jersey with reliable natural gas service to help meet the state’s energy needs,” said Rory Miller, senior vice president of Williams Partners’ Atlantic-Gulf operating area. “In addition to Garden State, we are pursuing a host of other projects throughout the eastern U.S. designed to serve the tremendous, long-term growth in demand for clean-burning natural gas from local distribution companies, industrial and power generation customers. We expect our Transco system to deliver more than 17 Bcf per day by the end of 2017, which is double its 2010 capacity.”

The Garden State project is part of Williams Partners’ 2016 growth capital funding plan that includes $1.3 billion for Transco expansions and other interstate pipeline growth projects. Fully contracted Transco projects that are part of that plan and currently under construction or in regulatory review include:

• Rock Springs – Construction is nearing completion on this 11.2 mile pipeline lateral to transport 192,000 dekatherms of natural gas per day to Old Dominion Electric Cooperative’s planned 1,000-megawatt electric power generating facility in Cecil County, Maryland. Williams Partners plans to place the project into service during the third quarter of 2016.
• Gulf Trace – Construction is underway in Louisiana on this 1.2 million dekatherm per day expansion to serve the Cheniere Energy Partners, L.P. Sabine Pass Liquefaction project being developed in Cameron Parish, Louisiana. Williams Partners plans to place the project into service during the first quarter of 2017.
• Hillabee Expansion Project – Construction is expected to begin in May 2016 on the first phase of this multi-phase project to add a total of approximately 1.13 million dekatherms per day of capacity to the Transco system to serve Florida. Service for the first phase is expected by the second quarter of 2017.
• New York Bay Expansion – FERC this month issued its Environmental Assessment for this project designed to deliver an additional 115,000 dekatherms per day of natural gas into National Grid’s distribution system through the Rockaway Delivery Lateral and the Narrows meter station. Williams Partners plans to place the project into service during the fourth quarter of 2017.

• Dalton Expansion Project – FERC this month issued its Environmental Assessment to expand by 448,000 dekatherms per day Transco’s mainline from its Station 210 in New Jersey to points as far south as Holmesville, Miss., and add a 111-mile lateral pipeline from Transco’s Station 115 to Murray County, Ga. Williams Partners plans to place the project into service in 2017.
• Virginia Southside II Expansion – In March 2015, Williams Partners filed an application with the FERC for this project to provide 250,000 dekatherms per day of firm transportation capacity to a delivery point on a new lateral off Transco’s Brunswick Lateral in Virginia. Williams Partners plans to place the project into service during the fourth quarter of 2017.
• Atlantic Sunrise – In March 2015, Williams Partners filed an application with FERC seeking authorization for its Atlantic Sunrise expansion project, which would transport about 1.7 million dekatherms per day from the northeastern Marcellus producing area to markets in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern U.S. Williams Partners plans to place the project into service during the second half of 2017.

Transco, a wholly owned subsidiary of Williams Partners, is the nation’s largest and fastest-growing interstate natural gas transmission pipeline system. It delivers natural gas to customers through its 10,200-mile pipeline network whose mainline extends nearly 1,800 miles between South Texas and New York City. The system is a major provider of cost-effective natural gas services that reach U.S. markets in 12 Southeast and Atlantic Seaboard states, including major metropolitan areas in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

About Williams Partners

Williams Partners (NYSE: WPZ) is an industry-leading, large-cap natural gas infrastructure master limited partnership with a strong growth outlook and major positions in key U.S. supply basins and also in Canada. Williams Partners has operations across the natural gas value chain from gathering, processing and interstate transportation of natural gas and natural gas liquids to petchem production of ethylene, propylene and other olefins. Williams Partners owns and operates more than 33,000 miles of pipelines system wide – including the nation’s largest volume and fastest growing pipeline – providing natural gas for clean-power generation, heating and industrial use. Williams Partners’ operations touch approximately 30 percent of U.S. natural gas. Tulsa, Okla.-based Williams (NYSE: WMB), a premier provider of large-scale North American natural gas infrastructure, owns 60 percent of Williams Partners, including all of the 2 percent general-partner interest. www.williams.com

Portions of this document may constitute “forward-looking statements” as defined by federal law. Although the partnership believes any such statements are based on reasonable assumptions, there is no assurance that actual outcomes will not be materially different. Any such statements are made in reliance on the “safe harbor” protections provided under the Private Securities Reform Act of 1995. Additional information about issues that could lead to material changes in performance is contained in the partnership’s annual reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.