NO MVP SOUTHGATE EXTENSION
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What is the MVP Southgate Extension?
In late 2023, Mountain Valley Pipeline Southgate Extension developers announced changes to their embattled methane gas pipeline proposal, that include cutting the total length in half, and removing Alamance County from the route. In 2024, Transco proposed an additional high pressure methane gas pipeline (Southeast Supply Enhancement Project/SSEP) to run directly alongside Southgate.
The new Southgate route would extend 31 miles from the terminus of the MVP mainline in Chatham, VA into Rockingham County, NC. According to developers, the revised plan would also mean fewer water crossings, and no additional compressor station, the permit for which MVP Southgate was denied on environmental justice grounds in 2021.
The plans are not yet finalized, and the community-driven fight against the unnecessary and dangerous project continues, until MVP Southgate is cancelled for good.
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Latest Updates
On April 17, 2025 the Virginia Marine Resources Commission posted Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC’s Joint Permit Application for its proposed methane gas pipeline “Southgate.” The application notes that it has also been submitted to other federal and state agencies, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Wilmington and Norfolk Districts, and the Virginia and North Carolina Departments of Environmental Quality. As part of the review process, agencies will determine if the application’s content is complete, or missing necessary information.
The Southgate pipeline is proposed for Pittsylvania County, Virginia, and Rockingham, North Carolina, and is also currently undergoing an amendment review process by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The developers had recently altered their plans for Southgate, changing the route, length and pipe diameter. Southgate would extend the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline, and has faced significant opposition since it was proposed in 2018.
The Southgate project has a route similar to the proposed Southeast Supply Enhancement Project from Williams Companies’ expansion of their network of Transco pipelines. The co-location of two high-pressure, large diameter pipelines is of significant concern for local residents in the impacted counties.
The application process for Southgate will include public notices from the Virginia and North Carolina Departments of Environmental Quality (DEQ), followed by public comment periods. Virginia DEQ’s calendar states that a draft permit is anticipated to be released around July, with a comment period in August.