The joint venture building the Mountain Valley natural gas pipeline from West Virginia to Virginia said on June 27 it still expects to complete the project in the second half of 2023 even though it asked regulators for four more years to complete the long-delayed project.
Mountain Valley—the only big gas pipe under construction in Appalachia—is one of several U.S. pipeline projects delayed by regulatory and legal fights with environmental and local groups that found problems with federal permits issued during President Donald Trump’s administration.
Mountain Valley on June 24 asked the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for the extension from October 2022 to October 2026 due to ongoing litigation and court remand proceedings related to several permits and authorizations.
In May, Equitrans Midstream, the lead partner building the project, said it expected the pipe to enter service in the second half of 2023 at a cost of around $6.6 billion.
When Mountain Valley construction started in February 2018, Equitrans estimated the 303-mile (488-km), 2 Bcf/d project would cost about $3.5 billion and enter service by late 2018.
Equitrans said the pipeline was “nearly 94%complete.”
Several agencies need to reissue permits, including FERC, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Biological Opinion), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (Right-of-Way across Jefferson National Forest).
Many of those permits were vacated by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit - some more than once.
Last week, analysts at ClearView Partners said they expect federal agencies to finish their reviews by the end of 2022 with construction completion in early 2023.
Equitrans has a 47.8% ownership interest in Mountain Valley and will operate the pipeline.
Mountain Valley is owned by units of Equitrans, NextEra Energy, Consolidated Edison, AltaGas and RGC Resources.
Recommended Reading
Delivering Dividends Through Digital Technology
2024-12-30 - Increasing automation is creating a step change across the oil and gas life cycle.
Liberty Bolsters Mobile Power Business with Acquisition of IMG Energy
2025-03-05 - Liberty Energy Inc. said March 5 it had purchased IMG Energy Solutions as the company expands its mobile power business.
E&P Highlights: March 10, 2025
2025-03-10 - Here’s a roundup of the latest E&P headlines, from a new discovery by Equinor to several new technology announcements.
Innovative Insulation: The Future of Thermal Management
2024-12-31 - Silicone-based, spray-on coating simplifies application and improves protection for downstream assets and workers.
Hibernia IV Joins Dawson Dean Wildcatting Alongside EOG, SM, Birch
2025-01-30 - Hibernia IV is among a handful of wildcatters—including EOG Resources, SM Energy and Birch Resources—exploring the Dean sandstone near the Dawson-Martin county line, state records show.
Comments
Add new comment
This conversation is moderated according to Hart Energy community rules. Please read the rules before joining the discussion. If you’re experiencing any technical problems, please contact our customer care team.