Regulatory Approval
FERC • Mississippi • Natural Gas StorageJuly 16, 2026

FERC Approves 19.18 Bcf Leaf River Gas Storage Expansion

The Bottom Line (Natural Gas)

On July 16, FERC granted Leaf River authority to develop the New Home Salt Dome Storage Facility in three Mississippi counties and increase certificated working-gas capacity by 19.18 Bcf. The approval creates a future Gulf-Southeast flexibility pathway; it does not mean the capacity is operating or guarantee lower regional gas or electricity prices.

19.18 Bcf
Approved Increase
Certificated working-gas capacity
3 counties
Mississippi Footprint
Smith, Jasper and Clarke
0.6 / 1.2
Existing Site Rates
Bcf/d max injection / withdrawal

What FERC Approved

FERC's July Commission summary says the certificate permits Leaf River Energy Center to construct, modify, and operate the New Home Salt Dome Storage Facility in Smith, Jasper, and Clarke counties, Mississippi. The authorized project increases Leaf River's certificated working-gas capacity by 19.18 Bcf.

The correct page state is regulatory approval. FERC's action is a necessary project milestone, but it is not an in-service notice, a construction-completion report, a pipeline nomination, or a supplier offer. KilowattLogic will not convert the approval into an operating date or a guaranteed price effect.

Existing Facility Context Is Not The Expansion Specification

Leaf River's official facility page lists 32.2 million Dth of working-gas capacity at the existing site, maximum injection of 0.6 Bcf per day, and maximum withdrawal of 1.2 Bcf per day. It also identifies connections with Transco, Southern Natural Gas, Destin, Tennessee Gas Pipeline, Gulf South, and Midcontinent Express.

Those figures explain why a salt-cavern project in Mississippi matters for flexible Gulf and Southeast supply. They should not be added mechanically to FERC's 19.18 Bcf authorization, converted into a new total, or presented as the expansion's final deliverability. The public facility page and the new certificate describe different project states and units.

Commercial Buyer Read

SignalMarket ReadBuyer Move
Federal certificate grantedFERC authorized Leaf River to construct, modify, and operate the New Home Salt Dome Storage Facility and increase certificated working-gas capacity by 19.18 Bcf.Track construction, in-service filings, pipeline nominations, and commercial service announcements before treating the expansion as available supply flexibility.
Gulf-Southeast network positionLeaf River lists connections with major interstate pipelines serving Gulf Coast, Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast demand corridors.Ask suppliers which delivery point and basis index applies to the account; storage access does not erase pipeline constraints or local distribution charges.
Salt-cavern operating contextThe existing facility lists maximum injection of 0.6 Bcf/d and withdrawal of 1.2 Bcf/d, but FERC did not identify those figures as expansion deliverability in its meeting summary.Keep existing-site capability separate from the approved project when modeling future swing, reliability, or basis effects.

What To Watch Next

  • Construction and in-service filings: separate certificate authority from actual project completion and commercial availability.
  • Pipeline and nomination evidence: watch how the new facility is connected, scheduled, and offered across the listed interstate network.
  • Regional basis: test Transco, Southern, Destin, Tennessee, Gulf South, and MEX exposure against the account's delivery point rather than assuming a Henry Hub result.
  • Contract language: storage flexibility matters only through the supplier's commodity, basis, swing, balancing, and force-majeure terms plus LDC delivery charges.

Sources: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, July 16, 2026 Commission meeting summary and decisions record, Docket No. CP26-17-000; Leaf River Energy Center official facilities and company overview pages. Reviewed July 20, 2026.

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Certificate capacity is infrastructure context. Your cost still depends on basis, pipeline access, utility delivery, load shape, and contract terms.