Dominion Energy Transmission can continue work on certain portions of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, despite a court order halting construction on the 600-mile project, according to an Aug. 14 decision by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
While proponents of a grid resiliency measure said it would bolster the system during bad weather, the recent winter storm proved such efforts unnecessary.
Though the new chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission—the agency responsible for approving massive natural-gas pipelines—is making progress clearing a six-month backlog of such projects, he may be hamstrung by procedures put in place by the Obama administration and by at least one fellow commissioner.
Dominion Energy is set to build a $2-billion pumped hydroelectric storage unit in southwest Virginia to accommodate 240 MW of solar generation it plans to add every year through 2032, the company confirmed.
Pipeline-sector observers are watching whether a U.S. appellate court ruling, which last month canceled federal approval of a $3.2-billion Florida natural-gas line and two others for not adequately considering the projects’ contribution to greenhouse-gas emissions, could affect approvals of other planned projects.
While expected to favor fossil fuels, the relatively neutral study embraces the generally accepted fact that natural gas is forcing coal and nuclear plant retirements.
