Mountain Valley gets FERC approval of Southgate amendments

Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC has received US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approval of amendments to its Southgate natural gas pipeline project, increasing capacity to 550 MMcfd from 375 MMcfd. Among other changes, Southgate’s length was reduced to 31.3 miles from 75 miles and its OD increased to 30 in.

Mountain Valley’s mainline moves 2 bcfd of gas from Wetzel County, W. Va. to Transcontinental Pipeline Co. LLC’s Zone 5 Compressor Station 165 in Pittsylvania County, Va. Southgate would continue this shipment from Pittsylvania County to Rockingham County, NC, and would include construction of the 28,915-hp Lambert compressor station, also in Pittsylvania County.

Mountain Valley has not submitted a FERC request to begin construction of Southgate, which was originally proposed in 2018. The project still needs permits from both the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and US Army Corp of Engineers.

The company held an open season Feb. 2-6, 2024, to solicit interest in the Southgate Amendment Project and executed binding long-term precedent agreements with Duke Energy Carolina LLC for 250 MMcfd of firm transportation capacity and PSNC for 300 MMcfd, 100% of Southgate’s capacity with terms of 20 years.