NiSource Midstream's Big Pine Gathering System in Service to Meet the Needs of Marcellus Shale Producers

HOUSTON, June 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- NiSource Midstream Services (NMS), LLC, a Columbia Pipeline Group (CPG) company and a wholly owned entity of NiSource Inc., announced today that its Big Pine Gathering System has initiated service in support of its long-term gathering agreement with XTO Energy Inc.  The Big Pine Gathering System is a 57-mile, 20- and 24-inch gathering system located in the heart of the Marcellus Shale.  The system is designed to provide gas gathering and residue gas takeaway services for natural gas producers.

"NiSource Midstream Services is underpinned by safe and reliable engineering, operating and maintenance processes," said Chad Zamarin, chief operating officer, NiSource Midstream Services. "With safety and reliability at the cornerstone of our operations, customers can rely on us to be good partners and to continue to invest in projects such as Big Pine to meet their current and future midstream needs."

"Big Pine is one example of our proven ability to deliver the midstream services needed by natural gas producers and partners," said Jim Privett, project director, NiSource Midstream Services. "We built Big Pine in record time and demonstrated our ability to safely, quickly and efficiently provide unique solutions to our customers in order to get their natural gas to choice markets."

The Big Pine project supports continued Marcellus shale production and infrastructure in western Pennsylvania and supports jobs and economic development for Pennsylvanians. This investment also furthers the safe development, processing and transportation of Marcellus shale gas, helping to build on a significant economic driver for Pennsylvania and the surrounding region.

The system stretches across the hydrocarbon-rich region into Allegheny, Butler, Armstrong, Indiana and Westmoreland counties. The Big Pine system interconnects to CPG's Columbia Gas Transmission system, as well as Texas Eastern Transmission and Dominion Transmission.  The system is anchored by a long-term gathering agreement with XTO Energy Inc., and a separate gathering agreement was recently signed with PennEnergy.

For more information about NMS, visit www.columbiapipelinegroup.com.  

About NiSource Midstream Services

NiSource Midstream Services (NMS) is a wholly-owned entity of NiSource Inc. (NYSE: NI), a Fortune 500 energy utility company. One of the Columbia Pipeline Group companies, NMS was formed to provide specific natural gas producer services, including gathering, treatment, conditioning, processing and liquids handling with a focus on the Appalachian Basin. NMS is focused on meeting the infrastructure needs of both conventional and shale gas producers in a cost-effective, safe and reliable manner.

About Columbia Pipeline Group

As units of NiSource Inc., the CPG companies include Columbia Gas Transmission, Columbia Gulf Transmission, Crossroads Pipeline, Central Kentucky Transmission and Hardy Storage. Combined with CPG's operation of Millennium Pipeline Company, the CPG companies operate about 15,000 miles of interstate natural gas pipeline and 37 storage fields, delivering over 1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas per year. For more information about Columbia Pipeline Group, please visit www.columbiapipelinegroup.com. Connect with CPG on Facebook at www.facebook.com/columbiapipelinegroup.  

SOURCE NiSource Midstream Services, LLC