Construction Begins on Controversial Compressor

Following federal approval to build the Weymouth Compressor Station south of Boston, Algonquin Gas Transmission has begun construction activities, says a spokesman for the Canadian energy delivery company Enbridge on Dec. 3.

The company expects the station, and other facilities related to the Atlantic Bridge Project, will be in service in the second half of 2020.

On Nov. 27 after Algonquin, a subsidiary of Enbridge, received approval to build the 7,700-hp compressor station from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Weymouth Mayor Robert Hedlund (R) wrote an urgent letter to Garcia-Serrano, regional director of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) requesting further review of Enbridge’s release abatement measure (RAM).

The RAM plan would allow Algonquin to construct the proposed Weymouth Compressor Station on a hazardous waste site, where the natural gas company “reported the presence of arsenic in surface soil at a level considered an ‘Imminent Hazard’” under Massachusetts regulations, Hedlund wrote. Four protestors concerned about the risks of the station were arrested outside the construction site Dec. 5.

A department spokesman says “MassDEP is reviewing the letter and will respond to Mayor Hedlund,” but as of Dec. 5, had no timeframe for the response.

In April, MassDEP completed a comprehensive audit of Algonquin at the Weymouth site and determined that previous cleanup actions did not fully comply with the requirements of the Massachusetts hazardous waste cleanup regulations, he says.

The Weymouth compressor station is necessary for the Atlantic bridge pipeline customers north of Weymouth, including gas utilities in Maine and Canada, an Enbridge spokesman says.

Johanna Knapschaefer, ENR’s New England Special Correspondent, has been writing about trends in design and construction of buildings, bridges, tunnels and other infrastructure for more than a decade. She also profiles award-winning industry leaders and delves into broader construction issues such as workforce training, worker safety and health, climate change remediation and emerging offshore wind and tidal energy developments. Over the past two decades, her articles have appeared in Architectural Record, BusinessWeek, the Boston Globe, American Banker, Modern Metals, BusinessNH Magazine, Pittsburgh Magazine and many other publications. Johanna is fluent in Japanese, and taught English and academic writing in the Science and Engineering Department of Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, while living in Japan for eight years.

When not writing, Johanna enjoys mountain climbing, singing and playing her Spanish guitar.

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