Williams is working to meet growing energy demand even as power companies across the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast continue to revise forecasts to meet regional needs.
Our planned Southeast Supply Enhancement (SSE) project is an expansion of the existing Transco pipeline’s capacity in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama. Located in our existing pipeline right of way, it will deliver additional natural gas volumes to our customers for power generation and local distribution across the rapidly growing southeast region.
Natural gas provides a reliable and efficient, low-emissions alternative to coal-fired electricity generation and will serve the accelerating demand for natural gas in the region while stimulating direct and indirect economic growth.
With a total construction and procurement investment of about $1.2 billion, Williams anticipates the project will create thousands of direct and indirect jobs, including about 1,300 full-time equivalent construction positions, and generate state and local tax payments exceeding $73 million.
The Transco system upgrades proposed under SSE include modifications to existing compressors and new pipeline segments co-located with our existing pipeline right of way.
It will add approximately 1.6 million dekatherms per day of pipeline transportation capacity to the Transco system by the fourth quarter of 2027. That amount of gas is equivalent to what is needed to supply approximately 9.8 million homes with natural gas for hot water, heat and cooking.
In Virginia, where Williams has operated reliably for more than 70 years, the Town of Chatham, City of Danville, and the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors have adopted resolutions supporting the proposed project.
The Chatham resolution said Williams is “a responsible neighbor and notes that “this project will provide a safe, reliable, and affordable source of natural gas” and “further strengthen economic development opportunities in the county and region.”
The resolution added that “the Council commends Williams for its willingness to listen, inform and engage on these issues in a transparent and open manner as demonstrated by its communication with nearby landowners.”
Williams President and CEO Alan Armstrong recently told CNBC that the U.S. has underinvested in natural gas capacity, with demand increasing 56% since 2005 while interstate capacity has increased by 26% over the same period and storage has expanded by just 4%.
Williams Companies handles about one-third of the natural gas in the U.S. through a pipeline network that spans more than 33,000 miles. Transco is a crucial artery that serves virtually the entire eastern seaboard including Virginia, the world’s largest data center hub, and fast-growing Southeast markets such as Georgia.
Williams is in a great position to expand infrastructure to serve utilities’ growing power demand needs, Armstrong said, noting SSE is designed to provide reliable power where data center growth is expected.
Power companies continue to increase their forecasts in Virginia, Georgia and the Carolinas. In fact, Virginia’s largest electric utility has forecast that data centers will be the most significant driver of rising energy demand in the state over the next 15 years.