New Natural Gas Storage
FERC opens review of Gulf South’s Mississippi gas storage expansion
The Petal Cavern project would add a new salt dome cavern, two brine wells and lines linking it to Gulf South’s existing system. FERC’s notice also sets a Jan. 21, 2027 deadline for related federal authorization decisions.
A federal review schedule is now in place for Gulf South Pipeline’s Petal Cavern Expansion Project in Mississippi. The proposal would expand underground storage at the company’s existing Petal field and give regulators a timetable for the next decisions.
- FERC is reviewing Gulf South’s Petal Cavern expansion in Mississippi.
- The project would add a new salt dome cavern and related pipelines.
- The planned cavern would hold 16 billion cubic feet.
- FERC expects the environmental assessment on Oct. 23, 2026.
- Forrest County, Mississippi, is where the next round of scrutiny now lands for Gulf South Pipeline Company’s Petal Cavern Expansion Project
Forrest County, Mississippi, is where the next round of scrutiny now lands for Gulf South Pipeline Company’s Petal Cavern Expansion Project. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, has set the schedule for an environmental assessment, a step that does not approve construction but helps determine whether the project can move ahead.
The project would add a new natural gas storage salt dome cavern at Gulf South’s existing Petal Gas Storage Field, along with two brine disposal wells, brine and freshwater lines, a natural gas pipeline connecting the cavern to existing headers and an intercompany check meter.
A bigger buffer underground
The proposed cavern would hold 16 billion cubic feet in all, including 10.0 billion cubic feet of working gas and 6.0 billion cubic feet of cushion gas. That kind of storage gives pipeline systems more room to manage supply when demand jumps and falls with the seasons.
For communities and gas customers, the practical question is whether the added storage changes how reliably gas can move through the region, especially when cold snaps or other swings strain the system.
The dates behind the review
FERC expects to issue the environmental assessment on Oct. 23, 2026. Other federal agencies, and state agencies acting under federal authority, would then face a Jan. 21, 2027 deadline for their authorization decisions unless another schedule is set by federal law.
If the timetable changes, FERC said it will send another notice.