Virginia Natural Gas Files Application for VNG Interconnect with Virginia State Corporation Commission
Project to generate $158 million in economic activity and support over 1,400 jobs in Virginia
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Dec. 15, 2020 – Virginia Natural Gas (VNG) filed an application today with the Virginia State Corporation Commission (the Commission) requesting a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) for a new project, VNG Interconnect.
On Dec. 1, the Commission issued an order dismissing the company’s previous application for the Header Improvement Project due to conditions not being met by certain customers, and authorized VNG to submit a new application if the remaining utility customers continued to require this expanded capacity. The new application is for a smaller project that would allow VNG to meet its obligation to reliably serve the incremental capacity needs of its transportation customers: Columbia Gas of Virginia and Virginia Power Services Energy.
The Interconnect would also help VNG maintain reliable and resilient service to its own customers by providing access to natural gas supplies received from the Transco Gas Pipeline and delivered through the VNG Joint Use Pipeline and VNG Lateral to serve the growing demand in the company’s service territory. This alternate supply connection would help VNG mitigate the possibility of a potential large-scale loss of service event from disruptions on the existing interstate pipeline system, protecting vital natural gas service not only to residential customers, but to the region’s large military installations, the shipbuilding and ship repair industries, seaport related companies and major industrial employers.
The project would connect the current VNG system to the existing Transco Gas Pipeline interstate system and entails approximately 9.5 miles of pipeline, nearly all adjacent to existing energy infrastructure in utility corridors in Prince William and Fauquier counties, an Interconnect compressor station near the connection to move the gas into the system, and an equipment upgrade within the existing Mechanicsville Metering and Regulation Station.
The Interconnect is expected to generate $158 million in economic activity and support over 1,400 jobs in Virginia.
“Virginia Natural Gas and its employees are invested in
serving our customers and dedicated to being a responsible and reliable citizen
in our communities,” said Virginia Natural Gas President Robert Duvall. “We are
committed to developing a model project that delivers clean and reliable
natural gas needed to serve Virginia residents and businesses.”
VNG is seeking CPCN approval by June 2021 with a proposed in-service date of December 2023.
###
Virginia Natural Gas is one of four natural gas distribution companies of Southern Company Gas, a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO). Virginia Natural Gas provides clean, safe, reliable and affordable natural gas service to more than 300,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in southeast Virginia. Consistently ranked in the top quartile for customer satisfaction by J.D. Power and Associates, the company also has been recognized by the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy and the Virginia Oil and Gas Association for its safety, innovation, environmental stewardship, community outreach and educational programs, and has been named Local Distribution Company of the year four times since 2015. The company has been ranked by its business customers as one of the most Trusted Business Partners in the utility industry according to Cogent Reports, and as one of the Top Workplaces in Hampton Roads by Inside Business. For more information, visit virginianaturalgas.com and connect with the company on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is a leading energy company serving 9 million customers through its subsidiaries. The company provides clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy through electric operating companies in three states, natural gas distribution companies in four states, a competitive generation company serving wholesale customers across America, a leading distributed energy infrastructure company, a fiber optics network and telecommunications services. Southern Company brands are known for excellent customer service, high reliability and affordable prices below the national average. For more than a century, we have been building the future of energy and developing the full portfolio of energy resources, including carbon-free nuclear, advanced carbon capture technologies, natural gas, renewables, energy efficiency and storage technology. Through an industry-leading commitment to innovation and a low-carbon future, Southern Company and its subsidiaries develop the customized energy solutions our customers and communities require to drive growth and prosperity. Our uncompromising values.
Media Contact:
Rick DelaHaya
o: 757.616.7510 | c: 757.323.7366 | rdelahay@southernco.com
