The US Army Corps of Engineers has awarded the final permit to the 2 bcf/d (20.6 bcm/year) Mountain Valley Pipeline, allowing construction on the final section to start. The US$6.6bn project, proposed by Equitrans Midstream, is a 303.5-mile (488 km) interstate natural gas pipeline that aims to unlock gas supplies from Marcellus and Utica shale production in Appalachia, the largest shale gas basin in the United States. The Mountain Valley Pipeline would cross nine West Virginia counties to transport natural gas to East Coast markets.
It initially received approval from the FERC in 2017. However, the project has faced setbacks due to regulatory obstacles and legal disputes, leading to delays in its completion. The pipeline’s construction is almost complete. The pipeline’s developers, which includes Equitrans Midstream (operator), NextEra Energy, Con Edison Transmission, WGL and RGC, intend to bring the project into service in late 2023.