Sunrise Project Involves 45 Miles of Gas Pipeline in Wetzel and Greene Counties

Pipeline Construction

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has given notice to Equitrans LP, a subsidiary of EQT Corp., to proceed with construction of the Sunrise Project. The project consists of installing about 41.5 miles of 24-inch-diameter pipeline and 2.7 miles of 16-inch-diameter pipeline that runs from Wetzel County WV into Greene County PA to a new compressor station north of Waynesburg.  According to Randy Crawford, EQT senior vice president. “The linking of this transportation capacity to NGL processing will provide producers of liquid-rich acreage a comprehensive solution to deliver their gas to market.”

From the compressor station, the Sunrise Project continues south and west through Greene County. After crossing the state line into West Virginia, the pipeline continues south through Wetzel County and terminates near West Union in Doddridge County. It will connect with the MarkWest Energy Partners processing complex in Mobley WV to transport liquids-rich natural gas to pipelines serving the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern markets as well as local distribution companies. It also will provide system storage for the gas.

Construction is expected to disturb about 1,492 acres of land, of which about 377 will be used for permanent operations. EQT employees and contractors will begin construction immediately, to be operational before next summer. (New regulations for the many gathering pipelines in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale drilling regions will be a top priority this fall according to Republican legislators. It’s not clear under existing PA law which government agency has jurisdiction and responsibility for inspecting intrastate pipelines—and that “who’s on first” problem has led to safety lapses, including explosions.)