Key facts
- Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey requested expedited federal review of Enbridge's RARE natural gas pipeline project.
- The RARE project is expected to supply gas to 600,000 customers and lower annual bills by $40 million.
- The project aims to reduce reliance on imported liquefied natural gas.
- Enbridge targets a 2028 in-service date for the RARE project, which will add 75 million cubic feet per day of capacity.
- The Algonquin pipeline currently transports about 3.1 billion cubic feet per day of gas across New Jersey, New York, and New England.
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has formally requested the Trump administration to accelerate the federal review process for a natural gas pipeline expansion project in New England. The project, known as the Reliable Affordable Resilient Enhancement (RARE) project, is being developed by a unit of Canadian energy firm Enbridge.
Healey stated on Thursday that the expansion of the Algonquin Gas Transmission pipeline is crucial for increasing energy supply into Massachusetts, supporting an "all-of-the-above approach" that includes various energy sources. The governor noted that US President Donald Trump has previously backed such projects. The RARE project is anticipated to provide gas to approximately 600,000 customers and potentially lower annual gas bills by $40 million. It is also expected to decrease the region's reliance on more expensive imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Constellation Energy's Everett LNG terminal.
Enbridge's website indicates a target in-service date of 2028 for the RARE project, which is designed to add about 75 million cubic feet per day to the existing pipeline's capacity. The Algonquin pipeline system currently transports around 3.1 billion cubic feet of gas daily through 1,131 miles of pipe across New Jersey, New York, and New England. In January, the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities approved two 10-year agreements for new gas supplies. The RARE project is currently undergoing federal environmental review by the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.