By Ovunc Kutlu
WASHINGTON
Four U.S. energy companies have announced on Tuesday the construction of a $5 billion natural gas pipeline along the Atlantic shore.
The pipeline will be built by Dominion Resources, Duke Energy, Piedmont Energy and AGL Resources, with the capacity of carrying over 42 billion cubic meters (1.5 billion cubic feet) of natural gas per day, according to a press release by the electricity giant Duke Energy.
The 900-kilometer-long pipeline will be built along the Atlantic shore, to reach the southern and southeastern states in the U.S. in order to deliver the natural gas produced in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia.
"Natural gas is increasingly important for advanced electricity generation, contributing to significantly lower greenhouse gas and other emissions. The project will also provide more reliable access to new sources of natural gas, keeping consumers’ energy costs down," says the statement.
Natural gas has become an increasingly abundant and cheaper energy source in the U.S. since the shale revolution in 2008.
The proposed pipeline project is to become operational in 2018, but it still has to be approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which authorizes natural gas pipeline projects, and by state authorities.
In 2013, 39 percent of the electricity generated in the U.S. was from coal, while 27 percent was from natural gas, according to data compiled from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
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