CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Piedmont
Natural Gas (NYSE: PNY) today announced the completion of its Wayne
County Pipeline Project, which will provide natural gas delivery
service to a large new state-of-the-art natural gas-fueled
combined-cycle plant at Progress Energy's H.F. Lee Energy Complex
near Goldsboro, North
Carolina. The pipeline project, first announced by
Piedmont in October 2009, involved the construction of 38
miles of 20-inch natural gas transmission pipelines and additional
compression facilities. Natural gas will be used at Progress
Energy's new facility to replace three coal-fired units, helping to
dramatically reduce overall emissions from the facility and lower
operating costs.
Commenting on the project's completion, Piedmont Natural Gas
chairman, president, and chief executive officer, Thomas E. Skains, said, "We are pleased to
initiate our natural gas delivery service to the Progress Energy
Wayne County project as scheduled on June
1, 2012. This is a significant milestone for
Piedmont as we execute our
existing portfolio of power generation pipeline expansion
projects."
"This is an important milestone in realizing our
fleet-modernization strategy," said Lloyd
M. Yates, president and CEO of Progress Energy Carolinas.
"Increasing the fuel supply is a vital piece of the puzzle as we
work to reduce environmental impacts from our operations while
preserving the reliable service our customers depend on. Expanding
natural gas supply further into Eastern
North Carolina will also serve as a catalyst for economic
growth in the region."
About Piedmont Natural Gas
Piedmont Natural Gas is an energy services company primarily
engaged in the distribution of natural gas to more than one million
residential, commercial and industrial utility customers in
North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, including 53,000 customers served
by municipalities who are wholesale customers. Our subsidiaries are
invested in joint venture, energy-related businesses, including
unregulated retail natural gas marketing, interstate natural gas
storage and intrastate natural gas transportation. More information
about Piedmont Natural Gas is available on the Internet at
http://www.piedmontng.com.
SOURCE Piedmont Natural Gas