Canonsburg-based Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC, (MVP) announced Monday that it was planning to acquire carbon offsets for its operational emissions – the first interstate natural gas transmission pipeline to do so.
Under the plan, MVP would purchase carbon offsets to make its operational emissions carbon neutral for the first 10 years of service. These Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions include carbon dioxide from compressor station engines, methane released during operation, and carbon dioxide resulting from the generation of purchased electricity, as well as pipeline maintenance. Independent auditors will verify the emissions in metric tons of carbon dioxide, allowing the company to purchase offsets.
“We understand the sensitivities that surround the blending of large-scale infrastructure projects with environmental protection,” said Diana Charletta, president and chief operating officer of Equitrans Midstream Corporation, operator of MVP. “Equitrans Midstream is committed to aggressively pursuing climate change mitigation and adaptation while also balancing the immediate and increasing need for energy in our country. Today’s announcement represents our team’s latest effort to reduce industry methane emissions and achieve our corporate goal of Net Zero Carbon by 2050.”
At the center of the plan is a Virginia methane abatement project where MVP would purchase carbon offsets expected to be approximately 90 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the company’s operations over a 10-year period. MVP said it is also pursuing additional greenhouse gas abatement projects in West Virginia.
Spanning more than 300 miles across West Virginia and Virginia, MVP provides access to natural gas to distribution companies, industrial users, and power generation facilities in the mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions of America. Currently, the company is waiting on approvals for construction permits that will allow it to employ us to 4,000 workers to complete construction and finalize restoration of the right-of-way.
“Once completed, the methane abatement project is expected to be the largest of its kind in the world,” said Matt Schafer, vice president, Interstate Pipelines, for NextEra Energy Resources. “MVP’s methane abatement plans will bring significant environmental benefits to the Commonwealth of Virginia and the state of West Virginia. Aside from the construction jobs needed to complete the final portion of MVP, most of which we expect to be union jobs, we are also thrilled that our methane abatement project will create additional construction jobs for the region.”