The board of directors at Columbia Pipeline Group Inc. approved a combined future investment of $2.7 billion in new infrastructure projects for Marcellus and Utica gas supplies, the company and its parent, NiSource Inc., said June 24.

The Mountaineer XPress (MXP) and Gulf XPress (GXP) projects will provide 2.7 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of natural gas from the Marcellus and Utica to markets served by the Columbia Gas Transmission and Columbia Gulf Transmission systems.

Long-term firm transportation contracts with producers and shippers back the projects.

MXP will have a new pipeline about 165 miles long, and an expanded WB Line, belonging to Columbia Gas Transmission. This will create about 2.7Bcf/d from existing and new points on or near Columbia's system, reaching third-party processing plants. Columbia’s TCO Pool and Leach, Ky., are also included.

GXP will provide limited pipeline looping, system modifications and other facilities, providing about 860,000 dekatherms per day of transport capacity from Leach to the Columbia Gulf Mainline Pool and other delivery points including Rayne, La. Compression will be installed for new and existing stations on the Gulf System.

In-service dates are expected during the fourth quarter of 2018.

Environmental reviews will be conducted by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission prior to any construction. Landowners, local officials and communities will be informed during the process.

"Columbia has been a part of many of these communities for decades, and in some states like West Virginia for over a century," said Glen Kettering, president. "MXP and GXP will enhance the energy infrastructure that serves these regions while creating hundreds of construction jobs and bring new revenue for local communities."

Columbia Pipeline Group Inc. is based in Houston.