MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Va. – A new expansion to the Mountain Valley Pipeline could bring a compressor station to the border of Montgomery and Roanoke counties and increase the pipeline’s capacity by 25%.
The project, dubbed “MVP Boost,” was presented this week to shareholders of EQT Corp., the Pittsburgh-based company with the largest stake in the pipeline.
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“This project will provide additional takeaway from Appalachia into Virginia to serve the Southeast markets, unleashing reliable, low-cost, low-emissions natural gas into a region that is seeing significant demand growth,” Toby Rice, CEO of EQT Corp., said on a call with investors on Wednesday.
While no formal application has been filed yet with federal regulators, the company says it has already started ordering equipment in anticipation of the project.
If built, MVP Boost would increase the pipeline’s daily capacity by using added compression to move more gas through the line.
A new compressor station would be part of the upgrade, with a potential site shown near the county line between Montgomery and Roanoke.
A similar compressor station was previously considered in Montgomery County but was never built due to public concerns around noise and pollution.
EQT says the extra capacity will help meet growing demand from electric utilities in the Southeast and data centers in Northern Virginia. The company expects the expansion to be in service by 2029.
“Additional information will be available after Mountain Valley completes a comprehensive review of the open season,” Mountain Valley Pipeline spokesperson Shawn Day commented.
The MVP Boost project will need approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission before moving forward.