FERC approves dangerous, expensive Ridgeline Expansion pipeline in Tennessee

On Wednesday, FERC approved a single-use pipeline project that endangers Tennessee and commits TVA ratepayers to higher rates.

Reed Winckler | April 4, 2025 |

On Wednesday, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a certificate greenlighting the construction of a dangerous 122-mile single-use pipeline across eight counties in Tennessee. The Ridgeline Expansion pipeline will endanger Tennesseans in its path, raise rates, destroy sensitive resources, and provide no economic benefits to the counties it plows through.

The pipeline route winds up and down Tennessee’s mountains, across its streams and rivers, and through areas known for seismic activity and landslides. Even the pipeline industry acknowledges the risks of building large-diameter high-pressure pipelines on steep slopes.

This approval comes as western Tennessee is on the cusp of an event the National Weather Service’s Memphis office describes as potentially  “catastrophic and life threatening flooding” and barely six months after Hurricane Helene devastated eastern Tennessee.

The Tennessee Valley Authority signed a contract with ETNG, a wholly owned subsidiary of Canadian giant Enbridge Incorporated, to build the pipeline for the sole purpose of fueling one 1,500-megawatt fossil gas plant in Kingston. In 2023, ETNG estimated the cost of the pipeline would be more than $1.1 billion. The actual cost will most certainly be much higher, and it will be borne by TVA’s ratepayers, as will the cost of the gas burned in the power plant. Meanwhile, Enbridge celebrated that it had a “historic” year delivering a 37% total annual return to investors.

SACE warned FERC that this pipeline would put Tennesseans in harm’s way. In fact, more than a quarter of the route is classified as a High Consequence Area and could result in the loss of life if the pipeline fails and explodes due to a landslide, a seismic event, an accident, or a construction fault. Even if the pipeline operates safely for its lifetime, Tennesseans will still be left footing the bill for TVA’s unwise decision to double down on expensive, dirty fossil gas rather than investing in energy efficiency, demand reduction programs, renewables, and battery storage.

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About the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy
Since 1985, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy has worked to promote responsible and equitable energy choices to ensure clean, safe and healthy communities throughout the Southeast. Learn more at www.cleanenergy.org.