Two pipelines, one path: Will FERC approve both?

Two pipelines, one path: Will FERC approve both?

Mountain Valley Pipeline wants to build a new natural gas pipeline in the Southeast. But Williams Cos. says its planned pipeline is all that's needed.

By:
Carlos Anchondo

Mike Soraghan

| 07/28/2025 07:00 AM EDT

ENERGYWIRE | Two energy giants plan to build natural gas pipelines in the same place — setting the stage for a high-stakes squabble in the Southeast.

Both Williams Cos. and Mountain Valley Pipeline are trying to lay new pipe along Williams' existing Transco line in southern Virginia and North Carolina to meet growing energy demand.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission could approve both. But Williams has argued that its pipeline is big enough to handle all planned volumes of natural gas — prompting Mountain Valley to bristle at the implication that its Southgate project isn't necessary.

"It seems as though Transco is attempting to undercut MVP Southgate," Ian Heming, a natural gas analyst at East Daley Analytics, said in a recent interview.

That is noteworthy in the world of energy permitting. While FERC is required to consider whether a pipeline is needed, the agency generally defines need as whether companies have committed to buying the gas the line would carry. Williams has cast a broader net, telling FERC in a short filing this month that the company could tack on Southgate's "incremental" volumes by adding meter tubes and regulation at an existing station.