Atlantic Coast Pipeline Gets Boost from FERC, County Supervisors

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Backers of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline chalked up a victory recently when the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) released a federal draft environmental impact statement that essentially supported the environmental measures outlined in its plans. Industrial Info is tracking $1.43 billion in active projects associated with the pipeline, which would ship natural gas sourced from the Marcellus and Utica shales from West Virginia through Virginia, to eastern North Carolina.

FERC said that while the planned pipeline "would result in temporary and permanent impacts on the environment, and would also result in some adverse effects," most would be at "less-than-significant levels." The 600-mile pipeline, which would transport up to 1.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day, is a joint venture among four major energy companies: Dominion Resources Incorporated (NYSE:D) (Richmond, Virginia), Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE:DUK) (Charlotte, North Carolina), Piedmont Natural Gas Company (NYSE:PNY) (Charlotte) and Southern Company Gas (Atlanta, Georgia).

Among other factors, FERC noted that "all of the proposed facilities would be constructed and operated in compliance with federal standards, requirements, and thresholds"; construction plans include "additional measures to minimize impacts on environmental resources on National Forest Service lands"; "a high level of public participation was achieved during the pre-filing and post application review processes"; and "environmental inspection and monitoring programs would ensure compliance with all construction and mitigation measures that become conditions of the FERC authorizations and other approvals."

The project took another step forward earlier this month when Virginia's Buckingham County Board of Supervisors voted to approve a compressor station that had been opposed by some residents, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. After nearly two years of research, the board found no evidence of detrimental health or noise effects.

The $120 million Buckingham compressor station would feature four turbine-driven compressor gas packages, totaling more than 40,000 horsepower, to drive a 4.7-mile segment of the pipeline. That segment, the $55 million Virginia portion, would transport gas from Brunswick County to Greensville County, Virginia. For more information, see Industrial Info's project reports on the pipeline segment and its compressor station.

Two other compressor stations are being proposed for the pipeline. The $85 million Northampton Natural Gas Compressor Station near Jacksonville, North Carolina, would feature three turbine-driven compressor gas packages, totaling more than 21,000 horsepower, to drive the $475 million North Carolina portion, which would run more than 180 miles from Northhampton, Halifax and Nash counties to Robeson County, North Carolina.

The $20 million Marts Natural Gas Compressor Station near Weston, West Virginia, would feature four turbine-driven compressor gas packages, totaling more than 55,000 horsepower, to drive the $550 million West Virginia portion, which would run nearly 300 miles from Harrison, Lewis and Pocahontas counties in West Virginia, to Nottoway and Dinwiddie counties in Virginia. For more information, see Industrial Info's project reports on the North Carolina pipeline segment and compressor station, and the West Virginia pipeline segment and compressor station.

One proposed project that would benefit from the pipeline would be Matex Virginia Power LLC's (Chesapeake, Virginia) $1.26 billion natural gas-fired, combined-cycle plant in Chesapeake, which is currently designed to have three gas turbines and one steam turbine. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report and December 12, 2016, article - New Billion-Dollar NGCC Proposed for Virginia.

The Atlantic Coast Pipeline is among a slew of interstate projects that are being planned to carry gas from the Marcellus and Utica shales to markets in the New England, the Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic regions. With natural gas prices widely expected to remain low, the U.S. "shale revolution" will continue for at least another decade, fostering the growth of related transmission projects. For more information, see December 16, 2016, article - ABB Forecast: Natural Gas Prices to Stay Low.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com/.