Client: Pinnacle West Energy /
Location: Phoenix /
Services: project management /
The Copper Eagle Natural Gas Storage Project was a planned underground natural gas storage facility proposed for development outside of Phoenix, Arizona in the early 2000s. El Paso Natural Gas Company, a subsidiary of El Paso Corporation, purchased the project from Arizona Gas Storage LLC and APACS Holdings LLC in 2003.
The storage project aimed to create three storage caverns out of an existing subsurface salt formation. Each cavern was designed to have a withdrawal capacity of 320,000 Mcfd, an injection capacity of 160,000 Mcfd, and a working gas storage capacity of 3.2 billion cubic feet. The total planned capacity for the facility was 9.6 billion cubic feet across the three caverns.
El Paso Natural Gas saw the Copper Eagle project as a promising solution to meet the natural gas storage needs of Arizona customers. The facility was intended to provide local, market area storage, making gas immediately available to meet peaking requirements. El Paso believed that the project could help improve the cost-effectiveness, efficiency and reliability of natural gas infrastructure in Arizona.
The project was designed to be connected to and potentially integrated with the El Paso pipeline system, which would make the benefits of storage available to any customer connected to the El Paso network. This integration would allow for multiple types of storage services to be offered. El Paso conducted a non-binding open season for the project, soliciting statements of interest from potential customers on the types of storage-related services they would like to see offered.
Despite initial progress and support from some local officials, the Copper Eagle project faced challenges and delays. The project became the subject of security and safety concerns due to its proximity to Luke Air Force Base. These concerns led to delays in development following expressions of concern by the Arizona state legislature. Ultimately, the project did not move forward as originally envisioned, highlighting the complexities involved in developing large-scale energy infrastructure projects.
