Gas is finally flowing through the Mountain Valley Pipeline, according to its developer.
The 303-mile natural gas pipeline, after a decade-long development process, went into service June 14 after “satisfying all applicable legal and regulatory requirements,” said Equitrans Midstream in a press release.
“This is an important and long-awaited day for our nation and the millions of Americans who now have greater access to an abundant supply of domestic natural gas for use as an affordable, reliable and cleaner energy resource,” said Diana Charletta, president and CEO of Equitrans Midstream. “Natural gas is an essential fuel for modern life, and, as a critical infrastructure project, the Mountain Valley Pipeline will play an integral role in achieving a lower-carbon future while helping to ensure America’s energy and economic security for decades to come.”
The pipeline is now available for “interruptible or short-term firm transportation service” until long-term firm capacity obligations commence July 1, the company said.
Thomas Karam, executive chairman of Equitrans Midstream, offered thanks to the numerous officials who have championed the project and aided in its completion.
“In particular, the resolve and commitment of Sen. Manchin, who championed and declared MVP as being critical to our energy security and national security, and the dedication of Sen. Capito, Congressman [Guy] Reschenthaler and Congresswoman [Carol] Miller, who recognized the essential benefits of MVP, including reliable, affordable access to domestic energy,” Karam said.
U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said she was “thrilled” to see the MVP “finally up and running.”
“After receiving all the necessary permits and approvals from both Republican and Democrat administrations, overcoming needless delays by courts and climate activists, this critical project is now in service and can begin to deliver needed energy to markets up and down the Atlantic Coast,” she said. “This entire process took a lot of perseverance, and I’m glad we fought every step of the way to help the Mountain Valley Pipeline come to fruition, which will benefit workers and consumers for years to come.”
U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., joined Karam and Toby Rice, president and CEO of EQT, in a celebrating the project’s last milestone.
“This pipeline is essential in ensuring the nation’s energy and national security and providing affordable, reliable natural gas to hundreds of thousands of Americans,” Manchin said.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission granted the project developer’s request to begin operating the pipeline in a letter issued late Tuesday.
After aiming to put the pipeline into service late last month, Equitrans Midstream announced the start had been pushed to “early June.”
A section of the pipeline failed during testing at the beginning of May, when water was used to expose “components to a pressure that exceeds the maximum allowable operating pressure,” according to information from the company.
The Mountain Valley Pipeline was originally announced in 2014 at an estimated cost of $4.3 billion. A decade of delays and legal challenges inflated the project’s cost to around $7.85 billion.
Completion of the pipeline is an “economic win for the communities along that route,” said Charlie Burd, executive director of the Gas and Oil Association of West Virginia.
“We are excited to see that it has finally been placed into service,” he said. “It’s simply a great thing from an economic standpoint and an energy supply point for our country.” The region, with its abundant supply of oil and gas, still needs additional transmission capacity in addition to the MVP, Burd said.
“For West Virginia natural gas production to maintain its current level or grow, it’s going to necessitate additional pipeline takeaway capacity,” he said.
The pipeline’s route through West Virginia includes Braxton, Doddridge, Fayette, Greenbrier, Harrison, Lewis, Monroe, Nicholas, Summers, Webster and Wetzel counties.
The pipeline can move up to 2 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas from Wetzel County to an interconnection with Transcontinental Gas Pipeline’s compressor station 165 in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, according to information from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Transcontinental Gas delivers natural gas through a 10,000-mile interstate transmission pipeline system extending from South Texas to New York.
MVP has signed long-term agreements with multiple shippers for the full capacity of the pipeline for at least 20 years from the in-service date.