Federal regulators gave the go-ahead Wednesday for Williams Cos. to launch construction of a major gas pipeline in the Southeast, nearly a month after approving the project.
In a brief letter, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission granted Williams’ Feb. 18 request to begin building the Southeast Supply Enhancement project. The undertaking involves laying roughly 55 miles of 42-inch diameter pipe in Virginia and North Carolina, as well as new compressor units.
David LaCerte, one of FERC’s five commissioners, recently touted the project as a source of reliability, while opponents have raised concerns about environmental effects and questioned the market need for the project.
In its order issuing a certificate for the project, FERC said agreements for 100 percent of the project’s capacity provide sufficient evidence of need.
