Duke Energy and three other utilities announced plans to build a 550-mile interstate natural gas pipeline – the Atlantic Coast Pipeline – from West Virginia to North Carolina to fuel new natural gas-fired power plants that are replacing older, higher-emission coal-fired plants. Although there will be environmental impacts during construction of the pipeline, our siting process is working to minimize them. Plus, natural gas plants release far fewer greenhouse gases and other air emissions than do conventional coal plants, creating long-term environmental benefits.

The pipeline will also serve as a key infrastructure engine to drive economic development and create jobs, helping counties along its route attract new, energy-dependent businesses and industries. It will also increase natural gas transportation options available to the Southeast, reducing risks of supply interruptions.

The pipeline has an estimated cost of between $4.5 billion and $5 billion, an initial capacity of 1.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day, and a target in-service date of late 2018. The project requires federal approval, which the pipeline’s owners seek to secure by mid-2016.

Duke Energy will own 40 percent of the pipeline; Dominion, 45 percent; Piedmont Natural Gas, 10 percent; and AGL Resources, 5 percent. The pipeline’s main customers will be six utilities, including the two Duke Energy utilities that serve the Carolinas.

We increasingly rely on natural gas to generate electricity after closing half of our 14 coal plants in North Carolina during the past four years. We have opened five natural gas plants in North Carolina since 2011 and plan to open a natural gas plant in South Carolina in 2017.

In recent years, extremely cold winter temperatures – resulting in high natural gas demand and prices – have further underscored the national need for more natural gas pipelines.