WEST WYOMING -- For years we've been talking about natural gas coming from wells in the Marcellus Shale. Well now that gas that is drilled is coming to the Scranton Wilkes-Barre area. UGI is working on a facility to connect those wells in the Northern Tier with natural gas customers here, and said it should lower everyone's gas bills soon.
From a hilltop in West Wyoming, it's easy to see that construction crews are hard at work. On the acre of land lie the beginnings of a new UGI gate station.
"A gate station is simply an interconnection between two pipelines."
UGI spokesperson Joseph Swope said the natural gas is filtered, measured and regulated from one pipeline to another before it's distributed to customers. Construction started early this summer and is set to end in the next two weeks.
Because this gate station is located right here in the Wyoming Valley, gas doesn't need to be transported from someplace farther away. That means local UGI customers could see lower bills in the coming months.
"It's going to save about $11 million over five years in transportation costs because gas is going to be coming from 28 miles away, instead of coming from the gulf coast," said UGI spokesperson Joseph Swope.
Swope said the gate station also adds another supply point, making it easier to get gas to more customers as UGI's service continues to grow.
For Paul Kamor of Wyoming, UGI had him at lower bills.
"I think it's really good for all of us involved that has to pay bills. Anything that can lower our bills is going to be better for us," said Paul Kamor of Wyoming.
In the past, some people in West Wyoming worried the station would be unsafe or too close to their property, but Swope insists the site is clean, safe, and tucked in a spot that's out of people's way. Paul Kamor isn't too concerned.
"I believe they really know what they're doing or they wouldn't be doing it in the first place," said Kamor.
UGI expects to finish construction on the gate station in the next couple of weeks. That would mean UGI gas customers in the Wyoming Valley could see lower bills as soon as December first.