Atlanta Gas light announced plans this week to double the capacity of its liquified natural gas (LNG) facility in Cherokee County.
Construction is already underway and will be completed in phases over the next three years, the company said in its Tuesday announcement. The expansion will include the addition of a second storage tank, which the company said will allow it to stockpile gas reserves when prices are lower to access when demand rises.
“LNG storage is a valuable asset for our system that affords us more flexibility to meet the increasing demand for natural gas from our customers,” Atlanta Gas Light president and CEO Pedro Cherry said in a press release.
The Cherokee County facility is one of three liquified natural gas facilities operated by Atlanta Gas Light. The company has one other facility in Riverdale near Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and another in Macon. The Cherokee plant will be the company’s largest once the expansion is completed, an Atlanta Gas Light spokesperson said.
The Cherokee facility’s expansion was planned as part of the company’s Integrated Capacity Development Plan, which was approved last year by state regulators at the Georgia Public Service Commission. Natural gas prices have spiked lately, due in part to the war in Ukraine, but a company spokesperson said the addition of new storage capacity is not in response to recent events.
LNG is gas that is transformed into its liquid state through exposure to extremely cold temperatures. Liquid natural gas takes up around 600 times less space than it does in gaseous form, making it easier to store and transport, the company said. Before it’s delivered to customers’ homes and businesses, the liquid is turned back into a gas.
Atlanta Gas Light serves roughly 1.6 million customers spread across 98 Georgia counties. The company is owned by Atlanta-based Southern Company, which also owns the state’s largest electric utility, Georgia Power.
