LUMBERTON — The completion of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline is going to take longer and cost more.
The natural gas pipeline running through West Virginia, Virginia and to a point near Pembroke has been delayed until sometime in 2021, Atlantic Coast Pipeline LLC announced recently. The price tag has risen by up to $3 billion.
It was initially expected to be in service this year. The project was projected to cost between $4.5 billion and $5 billion when first announced. Now the company projects a total cost of $7 billion to $7.5 billion.
A spokesman for pipeline partner Dominion Energy, Karl Neddenien, blames delays for the cost increases. Some work was suspended last year over questions related to a national permit, while residents and environmental groups have sued to stop the project.
It was because of the mounting legal challenged that thousands of people in three states had a less-than-merry Christmas because of opposition to the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, Aaron Ruby, a former Dominion spokesman, said recently.
“Because of opposition delay tactics in the courts, we’ve had to lay off or delay hiring more than 4,500 construction workers across West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina,” Ruby said.
Dominion, Duke Energy, Piedmont Natural Gas and Southern Company Gas are partners in the construction of a pipeline designed to carry fracked natural gas.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, located in Richmond, Va., issued three rulings against the pipeline in 2018. The pipeline’s builders suspended work after the Dec. 13 ruling.
“Ultimately, we’re confident we’ll prevail in the courts and complete the project for the good of our economy and the environment,” Ruby said. “Opposition delay tactics won’t stop the project. They’ll just delay needed infrastructure, which harms consumers, damages the economy and makes it harder to move to cleaner energy.”
Proponents, including the Robeson County Board of Commissioners, say it will promote economic development locally by providing clean energy that industry covets. It would also add to the county’s tax base.
Opponents say it is environmentally risky and that there is no local glut in natural gas.
