FERC on Friday gave its approval for Williams Partners LP’s Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Co. (Transco) to restore service on its Mainline A facilities in Prince William County, VA, now that their replacement is nearly complete as part of the 1.7 Bcf/d Atlantic Sunrise project.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a partial notice to proceed with construction in March for various mainline facilities, including the replacement of 2.5 miles of noncontiguous segments of Transco’s existing 30-inch diameter Mainline A pipeline and 30-inch diameter Mainline B pipeline in Prince William County. The company requested written notice to proceed by Friday, and it expects service to be restored on Mainline A on July 28. It received permission last month to restore Mainline B service.

FERC issued a certificate for the Atlantic Sunrise project in February [CP15-138]. Even though gas will be flowing through the newly installed pipeline segments, additional volumes certificated for Atlantic Sunrise will not begin flowing and no project-related revenue would be collected until the Commission authorizes the company to do so, Williams said.

Williams spokesman Christopher Stockton said the company is still waiting on water-crossing and earth disturbance permits from Pennsylvania before it begins the bulk of construction. Work in other states for the project has been ongoing since last spring, he said. Pennsylvania concluded a public comment period on those permits at the end of last month. Stockton said the company’s goal is to begin Pennsylvania construction this fall. The project’s full-service date, he added, remains mid-2018.

The roughly $3 billion Atlantic Sunrise would open a path for constrained Marcellus Shale natural gas to reach markets in the Southeast through the Transco system running along the Atlantic seaboard. The expansion includes nearly 198 miles of pipeline, consisting of about 184 miles of new 30- and 42-inch diameter pipeline for the greenfield CPL North and CPL South segments in Pennsylvania; about 12 miles of new 36- and 42-inch diameter pipeline looping known as the Chapman and Unity Loops in Pennsylvania; the roughly three miles of 30-inch diameter replacement in Virginia, and associated compressor stations, equipment and facilities.