Hampton Roads Crossing Pipeline Q & A
Proposed Project Corridor | Minimizing Potential Impacts | Community Benefits
Download Q and A > What is the Hampton Roads Crossing pipeline project?
Virginia Natural Gas (VNG) constructed a pipeline under the Hampton Roads harbor from Newport News to Norfolk to connect its Northern and Southern gas distribution systems. The Hampton Roads Crossing pipeline will ensure a reliable and competitively priced supply to meet the rapid growth in the region and the resulting demand for natural gas. The State Corporation Commission of Virginia directed VNG to build the pipeline in August 2006.
Why did Virginia Natural Gas need another pipeline?
The existing pipelines are well constructed and safely operated. The issue was that the Virginia Natural Gas distribution system was divided into two separate pipeline systems—Northern and Southern— due to the geography of the Hampton Roads harbor.
The Southern pipeline served the areas of Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and Suffolk in south side Hampton Roads. The Northern pipeline served Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson, York, James City, Williamsburg, New Kent, Charles City and Hanover on the Peninsula.
On a peak day, each system was fed by a single gas supplier: Columbia Gas Transmission in the Southern system and Dominion Transmission in the Northern system.
In 2005, VNG was offered the opportunity to receive a substantial quantity of additional gas supplies from Dominion Transmission into its Northern pipeline. For VNG, this opportunity provided the much-needed supply to meet increasing customer demand in the region.
Since there was currently no connection between the Northern and Southern pipelines, there was no way to move supplies into the Southern Distribution system from the north. The Hampton Roads Crossing pipeline solves this problem by connecting the Dominion Transmission supply directly into the Southern distribution system.
Why is it important?
Virginia Natural Gas is at the critical point where it must take action to meet growing customer needs for natural gas. The demand for natural gas has grown 30 percent during the past 10 years in the VNG service area--twice the national average. The HRX will help meet this continued growth demand. The HRX pipeline will connect the VNG distribution system so additional supply can be obtained and delivered to customers. In addition to increased supply, the HRX pipeline provides a more reliable gas supply to the Southern distribution system. Previously, the only supply into this area came through a single entry point into the distribution system. Any problems upstream on the pipeline system would have meant potential gas disruptions downstream for VNG customers. The addition of another distribution gate station into the system virtually eliminates this risk.
Reliability is also crucial to the military facilities in the Southern Division that rely on natural gas. These facilities include the Norfolk Naval Station, Oceana Naval Air Station, Little Creek Amphibious Base, Dam Neck Naval Training Station and Fort Story.
What are the benefits to the community?
The benefits are numerous. The HRX pipeline provides the additional supply and reliability needed to meet the demands of customers in Hampton Roads. VNG customers benefit from a competitively-priced gas supply which also is a significant factor in economic development for the region. Today, VNG serves more than 275,000 homes and businesses. In addition, the HRX pipeline project provided a multitude of economic benefits from construction related revenues benefiting local businesses to a continued increased tax base primarily to Newport News, Hampton and Norfolk.
What are the project details?
The HRX pipeline is a 24-inch diameter transmission pipeline connecting Dominion Transmission supply from Newport News into Norfolk. The route was designed to minimize any impacts to the community and the environment, using existing utility corridors wherever possible.
The project included construction of approximately 15.5 miles of onshore pipeline in Hampton, 4 miles of onshore pipeline in Newport News, and Portsmouth and approximately 5.5 miles crossing the Hampton Roads harbor and Elizabeth River. The project also included the construction of upstream pipeline compression facilities in Hanover and Charles City Counties, and a city gate station at the termination point in Norfolk.
The project delivers 100,000 dekatherms per day of additional capacity into the VNG distribution system, which is the equivalent of serving the natural gas needs of 95,000 residential households on a cold day. The project also provides additional capacity to industrial users and neighboring distribution companies, Columbia Gas of Virginia and Dominion Virginia Power.
What was involved in building the pipeline?
The major steps in pipeline construction included engineering, permitting, right of way acquisition, design, and construction. Woven into each of these steps was proactive communication with the community, including affected landowners, political entities, government agencies and the general public. The final route of the pipeline was approved by federal and state agencies, including the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, the Virginia Department of Natural Resources, the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, and the United States Army Corps of Engineers.
While planning the project, which took a total of 41 months, Virginia Natural Gas consulted biologists, marine contractors, engineers and others with significant experience in the development of pipelines to develop the most acceptable and constructible route for the pipeline. The pipeline was also designed and construction methods were used to minimize impacts to the shell fishery and lands included in the Baylor survey. Construction was also restricted during certain times of the year to minimize any impacts to these areas.
HRX was built in segments during two construction phases:
The marine construction phase consisted of four miles of 24-inch pipe that was directionally drilled or laid in a trench beneath the Hampton Roads Harbor, one of the world's busiest natural harbors and home to the largest naval base in the world. The remaining one and a half miles of marine construction were directionally drilled below the Elizabeth River in a world record horizontal directional drill for pipe that size.
The land construction phase comprised 15.5 miles of 24-inch pipe through parts of Newport News, Hampton, Norfolk and Portsmouth. The construction methods included drilling, boring and trenching. After each land segment of the pipeline was laid, it was hydrotested for leaks and joined to its neighboring marine segments.
The entire pipelineand the upstream Compression stations were completed in 2009 and additional supplies are currently flowing into Virginia.
What oversight was there to ensure the project was completed responsibly and safely?
The three major oversight agencies included the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC), Division of Utility and Railroad Safety. The DEQ provided oversight to ensure the most appropriate measures were implemented to minimize any potential impacts to the environment along the pipeline route. The DCR provided close inspection for adherence to erosion and sediment control procedures, ensuring compliance with issues that are crucial to protecting the surrounding environment. The SCC oversees the construction and maintenance of all natural gas pipelines in the state. Pipeline operators are subject to the Federal Code of Regulations, Part 191 and 192, which make up the Pipeline Safety Regulations. The SCC has both inspection and enforcement jurisdiction over state pipeline operators with respect to this code and monitored the construction of HRX closely to ensure compliance.
What if I want additional information about the project?
You may call Virginia Natural Gas and speak with:
Les Flora, Project Manager at (757) 616-7525 or lflora@aglresources.com
Cathie France, Governmental Relations at (757) 616-7507 or cfrance@aglresources.com
Media Representatives should contact:
Tami Gerke, Public Relations, AGL Resources at (404)-584-3873 or tgerke@aglresources.com
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