The Mountain Valley Pipeline says it hasn’t yet completed construction on their 303 mile natural gas pipeline through West Virginia and Virginia, and has set their new in-service target date to early June. The pipeline company had earlier planned to be in service by the end of this month.
In a letter Tuesday to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, a lawyer representing MVP acknowledged that they still have some welding, hydrotesting, and other required safety checks to do, and won’t be ready to go in service until early-June. MVP says they are 99 percent finished building their 303-mile natural gas pipeline through West Virginia and Virginia.
The company blamed the delay on construction issues and environmental protection.
Residents who oppose the pipeline say, it’s another sign MVP still has work ahead. “We said they wouldn’t be ready, and they’re admitting that they are not ready,” said Russell Chisholm, co-director of the Virginia-based organization, Protect Our Heritage, Water, Rights Coalition.
He and others have voiced opposition in recent weeks, asking FERC to deny MVP’s request to go in service by this month. “The looming questions about the project right now is can it safely be put into service?” Chisholm said.
23 lawmakers from Virginia’s General Assembly signed a letter to FERC on May 7, adding that they feel it’s premature to grant authorization to MVP, before the company has completed construction. They also argued MVP has not met necessary requirements of a 2023 consent agreement between MVP and the Pipeline and Hazardous Material Administration, which requires MVP to perform safety checks along the pipeline, to ensure no corrosion has occurred and the coating of pipes is intact.
The lawmakers who signed the letter also point to the failure of a section of pipe during hydrotesting several weeks ago in Roanoke County.
MVP has repeatedly pushed back on criticism surrounding the failure. The company said hydrostatic testing exposes all pipeline components to a pressure that exceeds the maximum allowable operating pressure.
A spokesperson for MVP, Natalie Cox, said in an email that the failure at the hydrotest on May 1 shows that “the testing process is working as designed and intended.” She added that MVP is evaluating what caused the pipe failure. PHMSA said the failed section of pipe has been transported to a metallurgical lab for analysis.
In the Tuesday letter to FERC, MVP said they will complete all measures in their consent agreement with PHMSA within the next few weeks. Hydrotesting has been successfully completed on approximately 99 percent of the pipeline’s facilities, with the final hydrotest to be completed after welding is finished, according to the letter.
The company plans to notify FERC once they’ve completed all mechanical work and testing. MVP is asking FERC to grant them authorization to go in service within one day of their notification.
In their letter to FERC, the company says they estimate restoration along the pipeline route will be completed this August.
