FERC signs off on 122-mile Tennessee gas pipeline with new lateral, header lines
By Mary Holcomb, Digital Editor
(P&GJ) — The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has approved The Enbridge Inc.-sponsored Ridgeline Expansion Project, a 122-mile natural gas pipeline system designed to serve the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) new combined-cycle power plant in Morgan County, Tennessee.
FERC issued the certificate on April 2, 2025, following an application by East Tennessee Natural Gas LLC, a subsidiary of Enbridge Inc., under sections of the Natural Gas Act. The $1.1 billion project will provide up to 300,000 dekatherms per day (Dth/d) of firm transportation service and 95,000 Dth of Customized Delivery Service to TVA.
The pipeline expansion includes:
- 110 miles of 30-inch mainline and 4 miles of 30-inch header pipeline
- An 8-mile lateral pipeline
- Three new crossover pipelines
- A new compressor station in Trousdale County with 14,600 horsepower capacity
- Modifications to interconnects with other major pipelines (Texas Eastern, Columbia Gulf, and Midwestern Gas Transmission)
The infrastructure is critical to TVA’s plan to retire nine coal-fired units at its Kingston Plant by 2027 and replace them with a 1,500 MW natural-gas-fired plant, plus solar and battery storage systems.
East Tennessee signed a precedent agreement with TVA for 100% of the project’s capacity. The utility also proposed a new Customized Delivery Service feature to provide no-notice, flexible gas delivery up to 95,000 Dth/day, enabling rapid generation ramp-ups.
Pending regulatory approvals, the Ridgeline Expansion Project is on track to begin construction soon to meet TVA’s timeline.
The Author
Mary Holcomb is the Digital Editor at Gulf Energy Information, where she oversees digital operations for Underground Infrastructure. With over five years of experience, she leads digital content strategy and day-to-day operations for this industry-leading publication.
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