300-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline officially starts natural gas transportation - WSET

300-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline officially starts natural gas transportation

(WSET) — The Mountain Valley Pipeline has officially begun operations after years of construction and controversy, spanning around 300 miles across Virginia and West Virginia.

The start of operations took place after the pipeline said they satisfied all applicable legal and regulatory requirements. That includes the conditions of the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s Consent Agreement.

Although the pipeline has started working for "interruptable or short-term transportation service," it actually won't be until July 1 that full capacity operations start.

The president and chief executive officer of Equitrans Midstream Corp, Diana Charletta, said this day has been a long time coming.

RELATED: Commission approves the start of Mountain Valley Pipeline operations

“This is an important and long-awaited day for our Nation and the millions of Americans who now have greater access to an abundant supply of domestic natural gas for use as an affordable, reliable, and cleaner energy resource,” Charletta said.

The MVP is set to provide cost-effective natural gas access for local distribution companies, industrial users and power generation facilities. The pipeline itself is sunken underground, its pipes 42 inches in diameter.

The pipeline is not viewed by everyone a positive change coming to the states it crosses. Its years of construction have been interrupted dozens of times by protesters, mostly disapproving of the pipeline for environmental reasons.

The pipeline's history also involved politics, including drama back in 2023 when it was used as political leverage for the national debt ceiling negotiations.

But despite the setbacks and opposition, the pipeline is now finished and in service for good.

"“Natural gas is an essential fuel for modern life, and, as a critical infrastructure project, the Mountain Valley Pipeline will play an integral role in achieving a lower-carbon future while helping to ensure America’s energy and economic security for decades to come," Charletta said.