Compressor Facility Construction Marks Start of Atlantic Sunrise Project, Pennsylvania
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Construction of the Atlantic Sunrise natural gas pipeline is officially underway in Pennsylvania.
Ground was broken Friday for natural gas compressor facilities in Orange Township, Columbia County, and Clinton Township in Wyoming County., Williams Partners said Monday.
Preparing the path for 186 miles of pipeline in the commonwealth is scheduled to begin next Monday in eight counties, it said.
There will be connections to existing pipelines in Columbia and Lancaster counties.
The start of construction signifies all the necessary permits are in place for the pipeline that will connect the Marcellus Shale gas with markets in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast.
The $3 billion Atlantic Sunrise project, designed to increase natural gas deliveries by 1.7 billion cubic feet per day, is scheduled to be placed into full service in mid-2018.
Besides work in Pennsylvania, the project includes revised piping in six compressor stations in Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina to permit natural gas to flow in both directions.
A portion of the capacity created by these modifications recently was placed into service, Williams says.
A major step in the three-year permitting process occurred in February when the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a certificate of public convenience.
Other permits have been obtained from the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Opponents to the project forced Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Co., a subsidiary of Tulsa, Okla.-based Williams, into federal court to obtain access to needed rights of way.
All easements have been obtained, but compensation issues remain in some of those cases. Transco has posted a bond equal to what it believes is at least the fair value of each easement.
Williams has worked closely with permitting agencies to minimize environmental and other impacts, making modifications to more than half of the original pipeline route, said Alan Armstrong, Williams’ president and chief executive officer.
During peak construction periods, the project is anticipated to directly employ approximately 2,300 people in 10 Pennsylvania counties.
Source: Penn Live
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