NeuVentus, LLC has expanded the first phase of its Texas Reliability Underground (TRU) salt cavern natural gas storage project in Liberty County, Texas, raising total working capacity from approximately 20 Bcf to 28 Bcf. The phase now includes three caverns. NeuVentus is an Austin-based energy delivery infrastructure developer, and the project sits along the Texas-Louisiana border.
Capacity and deliverability
Injection and withdrawal rates rise in proportion to the added storage, according to the NeuVentus announcement.
| Measure | Previous | Expanded |
|---|---|---|
| Working capacity | ~20 Bcf | 28 Bcf |
| Injection capacity | 600 mmcfd | 840 mmcfd |
| Withdrawal capacity | 1,200 mmcfd | 1,680 mmcfd |
NeuVentus says the higher rates are meant to help manage swings in demand along the Texas Gulf Coast.
Pipeline header
The first phase also includes a large-diameter natural gas pipeline header that runs 35 miles north to south. The header has 10 interconnections with inter- and intrastate natural gas pipelines.
The company's case for more storage
Sam Porter, CEO of NeuVentus, said that since the shale boom the US natural gas market has nearly doubled and pipeline capacity has grown by 50%, while storage capacity has grown by less than 10%. He said LNG and peakers are the newest sources of gas demand and tend to create very large spikes and cliffs in load. In his view, the need for high-turnover, flexible storage is particularly acute along the Texas Gulf Coast, where new supply and new demand are both coming online quickly.
Porter said salt caverns stand apart among large-volume storage technologies for their combination of scale and flexibility, and that TRU can meet that need with the larger scope.
Guy Ross, SVP of Natural Gas Development at NeuVentus, called the expansion a direct response to the market and a statement of the company's conviction in it. He said the added capacity gives TRU the scale to offer custom-tailored storage solutions and strong connectivity at highly competitive rates.
