El Paso Shines Up Line 2000 for Gas Conversion 
El Paso Natural Gas this week received approval to begin the internal cleaning of its Line 2000, which would convert the former All American oil pipeline to gas service. The internal cleaning, or "pigging," will begin at the La Paz pump station, and when this portion of the conversion is completed, the project will add about 230 MMcf/d of new capacity by Aug. 31. 
El Paso bought the line from Plains All American Pipeline L.P. in early 2000.  It extends 1,088 miles from Emidio, CA, to McCamey, TX. The purchase also included any fiber optic rights that All American had along its entire 1,233-mile system. 
El Paso was awarded a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission certificate to begin the conversion project in May, and then began a binding open season for additional capacity, which extends through Aug. 2.  The open season is for 230 MMcf/d of capacity from the Keystone and Waha areas of the Permian Basin in West Texas to the California border near Ehrenberg, AZ. The expansion capacity will be made available by adding compression to Line 2000 from McCamey to Ehrenberg, with a projected in-service date of mid-2003.