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US Energy Regulator Approves Mountain Valley Virginia-North Carolina Pipeline Extension

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The US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Wednesday approved the construction of Mountain Valley Pipeline's Southgate Amendment Project, connecting natural gas delivery points in Virginia and North Carolina via a 31-mile pipeline.

"Mountain Valley has provided the information necessary to meet applicable pre-construction conditions," according to a letter from the FERC's Office of Energy Projects.

The approval followed a federal appeals court decision on June 11 to reject a stay that environmental groups had requested against a water quality permit for the project.

With the natural gas network expansion, pipeline capacity is expected to increase by 550,000 dekatherms per day, the company website said.

MVP Southgate would be constructed and owned by Mountain Valley Pipeline, a joint venture among affiliates of EQT (EQT), NextEra Energy (NEE), AltaGas, and RGC Resources (RGCO). EQT will serve as the operator of the project.

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