Great Basin Gas (GBG), a subsidiary of Southwest Gas, supplies natural gas to homes all across Nevada and Humboldt County. GBG has recently started the 2023 Mainline Replacement Project running to the west of US Highway 95 and ending west of Winnemucca, south of Jungo Road. It will replace a gas line that supplies gas to Winnemucca, Lovelock, Fernley, Fallon, Yerington, Carson, Reno, Minden, Genoa, Gardnerville, Tahoe and other surrounding areas.
The project began July 31 and GBG officials say that the project has had and will have minimal impact to traffic but there will be more trucks traveling on US Highway 95 and Jungo Road until construction is projected to wind up by November.
“The new pipeline will cross Sandpass Road and Jungo Road but with minimal traffic impacts during construction. Traffic control will remain in place throughout the duration of the project to ensure the highest level of safety,” said Carrie Heglund, Director of Gas Operations, Great Basin Gas Transmission Company in an email.
The project will replace 20 miles of the existing steel pipeline supplying gas to thousands of customers that was originally installed in 1963, according to Heglund, which will help maintain the integrity of the line but not increase the line’s capacity.
“Great Basin Gas Transmission Company is proud to serve customers and sustain communities with clean and affordable energy. We routinely maintain and upgrade our facilities to ensure the safe and reliable delivery of natural gas,” explained Heglund.
The project will be extensive and GBG officials say that it is necessary because the pipeline is nearing “the end of its useful life.” The line in total runs through Northern Nevada all the way to the Idaho-Nevada border and the project is bringing in multiple contractors but GBG did not comment on how many are working on the project.
The project overview states that the majority of the project is taking place on Bureau of Land Management-owned land and only a minor portion of the project will take place on privately owned land. The current route assessment allows the placing of the line to fall outside of other placements that could potentially extend it and put it into more “environmentally sensitive areas.”
Heglund said that GBG officials will be present on site throughout construction to see to the completion of the project and that GBG is regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) who is also present on site from time to time to ensure regulatory compliance.
For those landowners and other stakeholders in the project, GBG has established a number for people to call with questions—(877) 593-2065.