UGI’s Auburn Gate Station Supports Growth, Reduces Emissions

UGI’s Auburn “gate station,” located in Susquehanna County, plays a key role in delivering natural gas to Northeast Pennsylvania residents and businesses.

A gate station is one aspect of the overall natural gas delivery system—it’s the interconnection point between supplier pipelines and the local natural gas distribution system.

UGI recently completed an upgrade of its Auburn station to increase natural gas capacity to accommodate growing customer gas demand. The new station was designed specifically to reduce emissions and is the company’s first “zero emission” station. Its innovative design is expected to be adopted for future station construction and upgrades.

The gate station is remotely controlled by UGI’s Central Gas Control, who utilize the station’s control valves to manage the flow of natural gas. During Auburn’s upgrade, UGI installed a package that collects all vented gas from the control valves and uses it to fuel the station’s heater.

A gate station’s odorizer adds mercaptan to the natural gas. At Auburn, UGI installed its first zero emissions odorizer that utilizes an electric pump. And to ensure the station’s continued operation during a power outage, a back-up generator was installed.

“We pulled together as a team to complete a successful project,” Joe Baker, UGI senior supervisor, measurement and regulation (M&R), said.

Baker credited UGI’s unique culture of teamwork and work ethic that made the project come to fruition, acknowledging the dedicated coordination between numerous departments, from operations and engineering to capital construction and safety and several others.