Pipeline project lines up endorsements

The Wilson Times
by Drew C. Wilson

The Atlantic Coast Pipeline received the North Carolina Economic Development Association’s endorsement Wednesday.

Citing “significant benefits for our state’s consumers, utilities, industries and continued economic growth and development,” the consortium of state economic development groups sent the letter of support for the proposed 600-mile natural gas transmission line to Kimberly Bose, secretary of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

The high-pressure pipeline will run from Harrison County, West Virginia to Robeson County, North Carolina. Some 12 miles of the 36-inch steel pipeline could be built across the western side of Wilson County from a point north of Sims to a point southwest of Buckhorn crossroads.

A partnership of Dominion Power, Duke Energy, Southern Gas and Piedmont Gas proposes to build the pipeline.

On Feb. 9, the project picked up added support from Sens .Richard Burr and Thom Tillis of North Carolina and four members of the U.S. congressional delegation including Rep. George Holding, of the 2nd District, who represents Wilson County.

In a letter to Bose, the six congressmen said the project will have minimal environmental effects and would result in long-term tax benefits for the eight North Carolina counties the pipeline would cross.

The congressmen cited a draft environmental impact statement on the project concluding that “no long-term impacts on groundwater are anticipated from construction or operation of the ACP” and “that surface water and wetland impacts would effectively be minimized or mitigated” if FERC recommendations were implemented. Furthermore, they repeated FERC’s assessment that the ACP “would not have a negative impact on public safety.”

According to Aaron Ruby of Dominion Power, the lead corporation on the project, North Carolina will have three taps from the pipeline in Johnston County, Cumberland County and Robeson County.

“These ‘taps’ will feed into local gas utilities’ distribution systems that provide retail gas service to residential, commercial and industrial customers throughout central and eastern North Carolina,” Ruby said. Those companies are Piedmont Natural Gas and the Public Service Company of North Carolina.

“Through their distribution systems, gas will be delivered to the residents in Wilson County who heat their homes, schools or businesses and also Duke Energy has taps off the lines and will use it to produce electricity for these same folks,” said Tammie McGee of Duke Energy. “Duke Energy has been able, in the last few months, to decrease rates because of the decreasing cost of natural gas, so electricity customers are already benefiting from the cost of natural gas.”

“The Atlantic Coast Pipeline, from its inception, already has subscribers or customers for about 96 percent of the capacity on the line,” McGee said. “We see, as we look out over the next 20 years, a 165 percent increase in the demand for natural gas. Duke Energy and Piedmont Natural Gas realized this early on.”

Duke Energy has closed half of its coal plants in North Carolina and built highly efficient natural gas, which has lowered the emissions in North Carolina. Natural gas was needed to feed those natural gas plants that have been built in the last few years.

“All of the natural gas on that pipeline will be used locally. North Carolina will use more than half of the capacity of the gas that will flow through the pipeline for heating homes and making electricity,” McGee said. “About 80 percent of what North Carolina will use will be for the production of electricity. “The remaining 209 percent will be used to heat homes and businesses who use natural gas for heat, for hot water heaters and to run their appliances.”