The Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) is one of the largest oil and gas projects currently underway in the United States – and for good reason. The mid-Atlantic region is suffering, as businesses and homes lack proper access to natural gas because the current pipelines are unable to keep up with the constantly growing consumer demand.
What is the ACP?
The ACP is the solution: a proposed $5.1 billion, 600-mile long underground pipeline that will begin in West Virginia, travel through neighboring state Virginia, and end in North Carolina. It will carry new supplies of natural gas from the Utica and Marcellus gas fields in its origin state of West Virginia, to both the cities and rural communities of Virginia and North Carolina that are in desperate need of additional resources. To give you a better understanding of the project in general, and of how important it is to the local communities, the mid-Atlantic region, and the United States as a whole, we’ve decided to share with you 5 things that you probably didn’t know about the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.
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4 Major Utility Companies Have Come Together to Make the ACP Possible
The ACP is bringing together four of the United States largest leading energy sector companies – Dominion Energy, Duke Energy, Piedmont Natural Gas, and Southern Company Gas – each bringing with them decades of experience in the production, transport, and distribution of natural gas, with millions of satisfied customers behind them. Dominion Energy, a Virginia based company focused on clean, reliable, and sustainable energy, is the leading percentage owner in the project and will be responsible for constructing and operating the pipeline.
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The Project is Creating ~13,000 New Jobs, and Experience is Not Necessarily Needed
The project recently signed agreements with 4 of the United States leading trade unions involved in the construction industry – these 4 trade unions will be responsible for hiring (and training) 13,000 new workers that will be tasked with building the pipeline, a guaranteed 25% of which will come from local communities. Not only is the project hiring from local communities, but they are also providing the training necessary to carry out the jobs – this is great news for anyone interested in pursuing a new career in the construction industry, regardless of their lack of experience and/or education in the field.
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Landowners and the Environment Matter
It is clear that Dominion and their partners in this project care about how the pipeline will affect both the environment and the local landowners and communities where the pipeline is to be built. How do we know this? It took the project leaders 3 years to create the finalized 600-mile long route, studying over 6000 miles of potential routes and making over 300 adjustments to the chosen route in an attempt to minimalize environmental impact and properly address landowner concerns.
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The Project Will Generate $377M Per Year in Energy Cost Savings
Thanks to technology, we are seeing constant improvements in the efficiency and effectiveness of equipment and processes alike, so it should not come as a surprise that the introduction of a brand new pipeline will produce the same amount, or more, natural gas, at a lower cost than it’s predecessor.
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It Will Transport Approximately 1.5 Billion Cubic Feet of Gas Per Day
Of course, to the average Joe like you or me, that number means essentially nothing because we don’t know, and really have no reason to know, how many cubic feet of natural gas it actually takes to carry out everyday tasks such as heating our homes or businesses. To give you a little more insight on how much gas that actually is, let’s take a look at what 1 billion cubic feet of natural gas can accomplish. Are you ready? 1 billion cubic feet of gas is enough to:
- Power 3,600 TV’s non-stop, for a century
- Provide electricity to 24,315 homes, for one year
- Road trip across the United States, 85,000 times
- And even Road trip from the Earth to the Moon and back, 559 times (anyone up for a road trip through space?)
Imagine how much energy is being created and provided to the communities when that amount of gas is being transported each and every day. As You Can See, the Atlantic Coast Pipeline is more than just a pipeline – it’s a fresh start for the Mid-Atlantic’s energy sector, economy, and communities. References
- https://www.oilfieldjobshop.com/news/13000-union-workers-needed-atlantic-coast-pipeline-project/
- https://atlanticcoastpipeline.com/default.aspx
- http://www.cabotog.com/community/what-can-1-bcf-of-natural-gas-power/
- https://www.dominionenergy.com
- image: atlanticcoastpipeline.com