Natural gas pipelines: safe, sound and underground

Ever wonder how the natural gas that warms your house and cooks your food gets to your home? Every day in the United States, several million cubic feet of natural gas travel through an underground pipeline delivery system to 64 million consumers. The natural gas is extracted from deep inside the earth via producing wells and then into gathering pipelines. These smaller pipelines eventually feed into the large transmission pipes, typically 26 to 42 inches in diameter, that crisscross the nation.

After a journey of up to 700 miles per day, the natural gas arrives at a Nicor Gas city gate station. Some of the natural gas is stored underground beneath rock formations at one of our eight storage fields for later use, while the rest of the gas is sent through a network of smaller pipes to homes and businesses. Natural gas is also used to produce electricity.

Because such large volumes of natural gas must be transported, the only feasible way to do so is through underground pipelines. Pipelines do not crowd our highways and waterways as trucks and barges would, nor do they contribute to traffic congestion or highway accidents.

Learn more about pipeline safety by clicking on the links below: