Liberty Utilities is proposing to bring more natural gas to New Hampshire.

At issue is a proposed 20-year contract between Liberty Utilities and the Tennessee Gas Pipeline, which would bring 40,000 dekatherms of natural gas per day to the state, a 20 to 25 percent increase to the company’s current capacity.

The Conservation Law Foundation opposes the plan, arguing that Liberty has failed to consider lower-cost alternatives.

The contract needs approval from the Public Utilities Commission before it can be finalized.

The Tennessee Gas Pipeline plan follows a few other failed proposals that Liberty put forward to procure more natural gas, a move the company says is necessary to meet customer demand and ensure reliability. Projects that Liberty has previously put forward but were later abandoned include the Northeast Energy Direct and Granite Bridge pipelines. Both of those projects were much larger and more costly than the agreement with Tennessee Gas Pipeline, which wouldn’t require new construction but would involve repairs and upgrades to existing infrastructure totaling $45 million.

— NEW HAMPSHIRE BULLETIN