Enbridge is planning an expansion of a major natural gas pipeline into New England, setting the stage for a political battle over the future of the Northeast’s energy system just as the midterm election season heats up.
The Calgary-based pipeline company recently briefed the National Energy Dominance Council on plans for an expansion of its Algonquin Gas Transmission line, according to a White House official. Enbridge is also briefing potential buyers on its plans, according to an industry official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive business matters.
The official said the company’s efforts appear to be in their early stages.
“The message was, ‘Get ready to do your modeling work,’” the person said.
Details about the expansion are still unclear. But the mere prospect of expanding pipeline access is likely to be controversial in New England, where a pair of proposals to build new pipelines were abandoned nearly a decade ago after encountering fierce resistance.
It also injects a new wrinkle into gubernatorial races in New England, where a trio of Democratic governors seeking reelection are under mounting pressure to address some of the country’s highest energy prices. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey and Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee have all pledged to green their states’ economies but have also signaled openness to backing new pipeline projects in the face of rising energy prices.
Healey “takes an all-of-the-above approach to energy sources,” said spokesperson Karissa Hand.
“She recently supported increased supply coming into the state on the Algonquin pipeline, which will lower gas bills and emissions by reducing Massachusetts’ dependence on imported LNG,” Hand said. “Governor Healey will review any energy proposals through the lens of whether they would lower costs and move us toward energy independence.”
The offices of Lamont and McKee didn’t respond to a request for comment.
The gubernatorial campaigns are revving into gear as President Donald Trump pushes to expand pipeline connections between gas-rich regions like Pennsylvania and pipeline-constrained regions like New York and New England.
Trump claimed last year to reach an agreement with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) to expand pipeline access in the Empire State in exchange for allowing an offshore wind project to proceed. Federal regulators approved a proposal to expand an existing line in September, but New York officials have raised objections over a second plan to build a new pipeline in the state.
Algonquin is a 1,100-mile pipeline system running from New Jersey to Massachusetts. Enbridge has faced resistance over plans to expand the system’s capacity in recent years. Its efforts to build a new compressor station south of Boston became a lightning rod in Massachusetts, where critics argued the project would undermine the state’s climate goals and further pollute the air in a densely populated community. The station eventually came online in 2021.
A White House official confirmed that Enbridge recently informed the National Energy Dominance Council, an advisory body that Trump created to promote fossil fuels, of its latest expansion plans.
“President Trump and his entire energy team are always exploring ways to strengthen and expand our energy infrastructure,” said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive business plans. “The Northeast is in high demand for more natural gas and the President is working to ensure the region has the supply it needs at a lower cost.”
An Enbridge spokesperson did not directly answer questions about its expansion plans, saying the company “routinely updates officials at all levels of government” about its projects and referencing a minor expansion of Algonquin underway in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
“We are constantly evaluating opportunities to provide additional sources of much-needed energy all along our natural gas transmission system to meet our customers’ needs, and deliver solutions promoting energy reliability and affordability,” Enbridge spokesperson Max Bergeron said in a statement.
But Enbridge has signaled in recent months that it is contemplating an Algonquin expansion. In February, Enbridge CEO Gregory Ebel told investors that Algonquin had observed nine of its top 25 volume days during this year, which ranked as the coldest in New England in two decades.
“We have a relatively small expansion going on in Algonquin, but there’s appetite for large expansion there,” Ebel said at the time. “And you’re starting to see things thaw in terms of permitting and the realization that it just doesn’t make sense to have 40 percent of power generation come from oil — burning oil in a cold snap or CAD $150 gas, and we’re the solution to that.”
Gas accounts for about half of New England’s power generation. But the region has long faced concerns about inadequate pipeline capacity during the winter, when gas demand for heating and electricity soars. Many gas plants in New England are equipped with oil tanks, enabling them to burn oil when gas prices surge or if pipeline capacity is constrained.
Algonquin has a peak daily capacity of 3.1 billion cubic feet. In February, the company filed a proposal with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for a 75 million cubic feet enhancement of three spur lines in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
Enbridge has previously pondered a larger expansion. In 2023, it announced plans for Project Maple, a 720 million cubic foot expansion that would see the existing pipeline replaced with larger diameter pipe, enhanced compression and new lines laid next to existing ones.
That plan has yet to advance.
Scott Waldman contributed reporting.
