The installation of a new natural gas line is underway along the southern end of Washington Boulevard with the goal of providing service to residential and business customers.

Running between Henry Street and the railroad trestle to the north, the project started Tuesday and should take up to two weeks to complete, according to Ed Easley, general manager of the Connecticut operations of Pennsylvania-based Danella Construction, contractor for Yankee Gas, a division of Northeast Utilities.

The work incorporates the use of 12-inch polyethylene pipe instead of more traditional natural gas steel pipe.

“This is the first 12-inch plastic gas main installed in Connecticut,” Easley said, adding that smaller diameter polyethylene pipe has been used to transport natural gas for three decades in Connecticut. “Plastic has a 50-year lifespan. The problem with a steel main is that the lifespan is 20 years.”

The natural gas line pipe will run about 500 feet, said NU spokesman Mitch Gross, declining to discuss the price of the project.

“This is an investment by Yankee in anticipation of future construction by Building and Land Technology along Washington Boulevard,” said Gross, referring to the developer who has transformed an 80-acre tract in the South End of the city through its Harbor Point mixed-use development. “There have been conversations with Building and Land Technology regarding potential plans.”

A spokesperson for Building and Land Technology was unavailable for comment.

But extending natural gas service further into the South End should be a boon to business, according to Joe McGee, vice president of the Business Council of Fairfield County.

“That’s real plus. It’s strengthening the energy supply to a critical part of the city,” he said. “Over the years, we’ve had a major concern about the ability of the electrical grid to serve downtown and the South End of the city. The utilities have made major improvements. The installation of gas is a major improvement to the overal reliability of the system.”

Installation of the gas main aligns with Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s strategy to provide Connecticut homeowners, commercial building operators, schools and municipalities with a less-expensive alternative to oil, Easley said. The program includes financing options for homeowners and businesses to eliminate the upfront burden of converting furnaces, boilers and appliances to natural gas.

The goal is to install 900 miles of gas mains to provide “anchor loads” (such as factories, hospitals, schools and other facilities with significant energy consumption) with access to gas mains.

In August, Yankee Gas broke ground on the installation of a 3.5-mile underground pipeline to bring natural gas to Wilton’s downtown business district. It made Wilton the first community in the state to partner with a utility through Connecticut’s comprehensive energy strategy.

Wilton’s Energy Commission estimates that by converting to natural gas, the town will save up to $500,000 in annual energy costs.

Source from stamfordadvocate