International Paper inks plan for natural gas pipeline

27 April 2015

NG Advantage LLC of Colchester, Vermont  recently announced that it has signed a contract with International Paper to deliver compressed natural gas (CNG) to IP’s Ticonderoga paper mill in New York.

NG Advantage will deliver CNG to the mill using its "Virtual Pipeline" which consists of compressor stations located on natural gas pipelines, a fleet of specially designed carbon fiber CNG trailers, and off-loading and monitoring equipment which NG Advantage is installing at the mill.

Initially IP had plans to help finance a project that included the installation of a natural gas pipeline extension from Middlebury, Vermont to the Ticonderoga mill in New York with a portion of the pipeline running under Lake Champlain, which the mill sits adjacent to. However, the price of the project was deemed too high, and in February IP scrapped plans for the pipeline and instead opted for CNG to be delivered by truck.

The new supply of natural gas is expected to displace at least 32,000 gallons of fuel oil a day during IP's contract with NG Advantage. The gas will be used to run the mill’s kiln and power boiler.

"Because International Paper is staunchly committed to their environmental goals, they have done years of design work to extend a pipeline under Lake Champlain to replace fuel oil with natural gas," said Tom Evslin CEO of NG Advantage. "They will now be able to convert to burning natural gas even though the pipeline extension proved uneconomical.

 

pulpapernews.com