TAMPA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--TECO Peoples Gas, Florida's largest natural gas distribution utility, has joined with Florida Public Utilities Co. (FPU) to expand natural gas service in the growing Jacksonville market.
Peoples Gas’s affiliate, SeaCoast Gas Transmission, and FPU affiliate Peninsula Pipeline Co. Inc. are jointly building the Callahan pipeline. Peoples Gas will further expand its pipeline system in the Jacksonville area to meet current and future natural gas demand. This will bring new sources of clean, domestic, affordable natural gas to industries and residences in growing Duval County.
Peoples Gas will continue its long history of investment in the Jacksonville community, which is one of the utility’s largest and fastest-growing distribution markets with more than 30,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers.
“Peoples Gas is proud of its decades of service in the Jacksonville area, most recently with the $65 million investment that supports the economic development and exciting business growth in the region,” said T.J. Szelistowski, president of Peoples Gas. “We are committed to bringing more safe, reliable, affordable and energy-efficient natural gas to our northeast Florida customers of today and tomorrow.”
The Callahan Pipeline will start at a gate station to be constructed on the Southern Natural Gas Cypress Interstate Pipeline in Callahan and will travel east to Highway 17 in Yulee. Construction is scheduled to begin in June and is expected to be completed by September 2020.
Peoples Gas and FPU previously worked together to introduce natural gas service to Nassau County and Amelia Island in 2012.
“We are proud to once again partner with TECO Peoples Gas to jointly increase the availability of natural gas in the northeast Florida region. Expanding access to safe, reliable and affordable natural gas is pivotal in driving economic development and supporting growth in the region,” said Kevin Webber, president of Chesapeake Utilities Corp.’s Florida business unit, which includes FPU and Peninsula Pipeline.
For six consecutive years, Peoples Gas has ranked highest in residential customer satisfaction among midsized natural gas companies in the south region, according to the J.D. Power annual Gas Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study.
Peoples Gas System, Florida’s largest natural gas distribution utility, serves about 390,000 customers across Florida. Peoples Gas is a subsidiary of Emera Inc., a geographically diverse energy and services company headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Florida Public Utilities Company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chesapeake Utilities Corporation (NYSE: CPK). Headquartered in Fernandina Beach, Florida, FPU distributes natural gas and propane and provides electric services to approximately 100,000 customers in markets throughout Florida. For more information, visit www.fpuc.com.
Please note that Chesapeake Utilities Corp. is not affiliated with Chesapeake Energy, an oil and natural gas exploration company headquartered in Oklahoma City, Okla.