Williams Partners has commenced construction on the greenfield portion of the $3bn Atlantic Sunrise natural gas pipeline expansion project in Pennsylvania.
Construction activities related to the project are underway in Columbia and Wyoming counties in Pennsylvania state, as part of site preparation to establish two new natural gas compressor facilities.
The project will see the existing Transco natural gas pipeline expanded to link rich gas supplies in the Marcellus fields with the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern US markets.
Designed to boost natural gas deliveries by 1.7 billion cubic feet per day, the Atlantic Sunrise project is slated to be put into full operations in mid-2018.
Williams executive vice president and chief operating officer Micheal Dunn said: “As we begin construction of the greenfield facilities, we are committed to installing this infrastructure in a safe, environmentally responsible manner and in full compliance with rigorous state and federal environmental permits and standards.
“Our construction personnel are experienced, highly-qualified professionals who have undergone extensive training to ensure that this important project is installed safely and responsibly.”
In Wyoming County, a new 30,000-horsepower facility named as Compressor Station 605 is being constructed by VEC in Clinton Township. On the other hand in Columbia County, LMC Industrial Contractors is constructing a new 40,000-horsepower facility dubbed Compressor Station 610 in Orange Township.
By the end of September, Williams intends to break ground on a new 300-km pipeline in Pennsylvania having secured all the required permits and made other arrangements.
The pipeline construction will feature eight different construction spreads with six of them to operate simultaneously in eight counties of Pennsylvania.
According to Williams, the Atlantic Sunrise project is expected to recruit nearly 2,300 people in 10 Pennsylvania counties during peak construction periods.
Earlier this month, Williams had secured a major permit for the Atlantic Sunrise project from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. The approval was for an air quality plan for air emissions associated with the project’s construction activities in Lancaster County.
Image: Williams Partners has started construction of Atlantic Sunrise’s greenfield part in Pennsylvania. Photo: courtesy of supakitmod/FreeDigitalPhotos.net.