North Carolina’s population has skyrocketed by nearly 2 million people in the past 15 years and is expected to grow by another 2 million by 2035, according to the Office of State Budget and Management.
The growth has been particularly strong in central North Carolina, where local gas distribution company PSNC Energy has added 100,000 new customers in the past decade without adding a new supply source. The company has shown state regulators at the North Carolina Utilities Commission that it may not be able to meet demand during a worst-case weather scenario as early as December 2020.
That’s why the proposed MVP Southgate project is so important, according to Rusty Harris, president and chief operating officer of PSNC Energy.
“We are committed to ensuring the highest levels of service to the homes and businesses that rely on natural gas for heating, cooking and other uses, and the MVP Southgate project offers the most efficient and cost-effective way to enhance reliability and provide the diversity of supply needed to meet our customers’ needs,” he said.
The project is being reviewed by federal and state regulators, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is leading that review. Construction on the interstate transmission pipeline hinges on whether the FERC issues a certificate finding that it is needed to meet public demand.
PSNC has signed a long-term agreement to purchase approximately 80 percent of the proposed pipeline’s capacity. The MVP Southgate project team has said discussions with other potential customers are ongoing, and that the pipeline is classified as “open-access.”
In other words, even after the project enters service, large manufacturers and other distribution companies will still have the opportunity to pursue tapping into the pipeline and providing the region with additional supplies of natural gas.
Read more about the need for the project and its benefits.
