Natural Gas Station Proposed Adjacent To Century Courthouse, Apartment Complex

A new natural gas gate station is proposed next to the courthouse and an apartment complex in Century.

A gate station is the point in a natural gas delivery system where gas is transferred from high-pressure transmission pipelines to a local distribution network.

The Escambia County Commission on Thursday is expected to convey a half acre piece of county-owned property along North Century Boulevard next to the Billy G. Ward Courthouse to the Town of Century. The property was escheated to the county in 2021.

The Town of Century was awarded federal funding from the PHMSA Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure Safety Modernization Grant to construct a new gate station.

The town currently receives natural gas from BP through their original gate station built in the 1950’s. It is located several miles outside the town on Poplar Dell Road, just behind the Poplar Dell Baptist Church on Highway 168. The project will connect the town’s gas distribution system to the Peninsula Pipeline, enabling access to Florida Gas Utility’s (FGU) aggregated supply network. This connection is expected to result in cost savings, improved operational efficiency, and enhanced safety.

A few years ago, FGU proposed the installation of the new gate station during the Peninsula Pipeline’s construction phase, but the Town Council did not approve the project at that time. When the Town revisited the proposal,
construction had already been completed. As a result, they are now working with grant funding and have shifted focus to a new location for the gate station.

The gate station would be located adjacent to the courthouse and in front of the Century Park Apartments. There is no timetable for the start of construction.

Pictured top: Graphic showing the location of a proposed natural gas gate station in Century marked in red. Pictured below: The piece of property located next to the courthouse. Pictured bottom: Century’s current gate station on Popular Dell Road. NorthEscambia.com photos/graphic, click to enlarge.