 Gas storage has been used in Alberta and North America for many years to provide a safe and secure supply of gas for domestic and international markets. Additional gas storage capacity helps customers balance seasonal and short-term supply and demand, and provide flexibility in the supply of natural gas. With two recent announcements, TransCanada is now one of the largest natural gas storage operators in North America. TransCanada now has interests in approximately 360 billion cubic feet of storage capacity.
With the recent commissioning of our Edson gas storage facility, TransCanada now owns or controls more than 130 Bcf, or approximately one-third of the storage capacity in Alberta. The Edson storage operation is an underground natural gas storage facility consisting of a single depleted reservoir, the Viking “D” pool, a central processing facility and associated pipeline gathering system. The plant is located approximately 35 km northwest of Edson, Alberta. The Edson facility is connected to the NOVA Gas Transmission Ltd. (NGTL) Grande Prairie mainline.
“The Edson facility strengthens our position in the natural gas storage business and enhances Alberta’s position as a major natural gas hub in North America,” said Hal Kvisle, TransCanada’s chief executive officer. “We have operated in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin for more than 40 years, we know the gas storage business through our 10-year involvement in CrossAlta, and we see our growth in gas storage as a natural extension of our natural gas transmission business.”
In 2004, TransCanada contracted 38 Bcf of long-term storage capacity from a third party and started marketing gas storage and related services to a broad range of customers. The company also owns 60 per cent of CrossAlta Gas Storage & Services Ltd., which operates a 50 BCF storage facility near Crossfield, Alberta. CrossAlta continues to market its own storage capacity. TransCanada's gas storage business is operated independently from its regulated natural gas transmission business.
TransCanada has also acquired more than 230 billion cubic feet of natural gas storage capacity with the announcement that the acquisition of American Natural Resources Company and ANR Storage Company has closed. ANR owns and operates numerous underground natural gas storage facilities in Michigan. Its facilities offer customers a high level of service flexibility allowing them to meet peak-day delivery requirements and to capture the value resulting from changing supply and demand dynamics. As part of the acquisition TransCanada will also obtain certain gas supplies contained within production and storage reservoirs in Michigan.
For more information, visit TransCanada's website. | 
