Tulsa-based Williams Partners L.P. announced Friday that it will extend the targeted full in-service date for its Atlantic Sunrise expansion project to mid-2018, according to a company press release. The partnership expects to begin a portion of its service during the second half of 2017.
The revision is due to a recently updated schedule of environmental review by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) as well as anticipated delays in obtaining certain permits required to begin construction.
“We continue to work with the FERC, state and other federal permitting agencies to secure the necessary approvals to construct this critical infrastructure project and connect consumers along the East Coast with abundant, cost-effective Pennsylvania natural gas supplies,” said Rory Miller, senior vice president of Williams Partners’ Atlantic-Gulf operating area. “We would also note Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf’s recent comments that new energy infrastructure projects, including Atlantic Sunrise, are critical to Pennsylvania’s economic future because they enable consumers to access an affordable, reliable and cleaner-burning energy resource. We also share the governor’s commitment to protecting our environment.”
Williams’ Atlantic Sunrise expansion will alleviate infrastructure bottlenecks in Pennsylvania, connecting Marcellus gas supplies with markets in the mid-Atlantic and southeastern United States.
Williams Partners’ net investment in the Atlantic Sunrise project is expected to reach nearly $1.9 billion.
Pennsylvania State University researchers forecast the Atlantic Sunrise project to directly and indirectly support approximately 8,000 jobs in the 10 Pennsylvania counties during the project’s construction phase, resulting in an estimated $1.6 billion economic impact in the project area.