Analysts believe stream-crossing rules proposed by environmental regulators in Virginia may delay the startup of the Mountain Valley natural gas pipeline to 2022, according to Reuters.
Incidentally, the companies involved with the project are sticking with their late-2021 target.
Natalie Cox, a spokeswoman at Equitrans Midstream Corp, one of the companies building the pipeline, said the Mountain Valley team was aware of the revised state regulations but “remains confident in achieving its targeted in-service date of late 2021, at a total cost estimate of $5.8-$6.0 billion.”
The new regulations would bar gas pipes with a diameter of 36 inches (91.4 cm) or more from using the U.S. Army Corp’s proposed 2020 Nationwide Permits to cross streams. The Mountain Valley will use pipe 42 inches in diameter to transport 2.0 billion cubic feet per day of gas from the Marcellus/Utica shale formation in West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio to Virginia.
Learn more: Reuters > Proposed Virginia rules cloud Mountain Valley natters pipeline startup
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