RICHMOND, Va., Sept. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Atlantic Coast Pipeline, LLC, which has proposed a 600-mile natural gas transmission pipeline to bring much-needed energy to Virginia and North Carolina, today announced it has signed a construction contract with Spring Ridge Constructors, LLC (SRC), a joint venture of leading natural gas pipeline construction companies. Comprised of Price Gregory International, Inc., a Quanta Services, Inc. (NYSE: PWR) company; U.S. Pipeline, Inc.; SMPC, LLC; and Rockford Corporation, a Primoris Services Corporation (NASDAQ: PRIM) company, the joint venture will serve as the Atlantic Coast Pipeline's lead construction contractor.

Pending approval by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) would run from Harrison County, W.Va., southeast through Virginia with a lateral extension to Chesapeake, Va., and then south through eastern North Carolina to Robeson County. If approved, construction is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2017. According to economic impact studies conducted in 2015, the project's construction is expected to generate more than 17,000 jobs, $2.7 billion in total economic activity and $4.2 million in average annual tax revenue for cities and counties in the project area.

SRC was selected as the most-qualified contractor for the project after an extensive, competitive bidding process conducted by Atlantic Coast Pipeline, LLC. The four SRC companies account for a significant portion of the large-diameter natural gas pipeline construction spread capacity in the U.S.

"We are excited to work with SRC, which has assembled four of the nation's leading and most-qualified pipeline builders for this project," said Diane Leopold, president of Dominion Energy. "These companies have extensive experience in building large-scale, complex projects like the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, and their commitment to safe construction practices and best-in-class standards align with our expectations for the project."

"The selection of our lead construction contractor is another significant milestone for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and represents one more step toward making this project a reality and securing the energy future of our region," Leopold added.

"SRC is pleased to have been selected by ACP as the constructor of this vital project which serves to strengthen the nation's energy infrastructure," said Dan Plume, SRC project director. "The members of SRC are aligned in purpose with the common goals of safe construction practices, a commitment to environmental stewardship and quality construction. The SRC team leads the industry with a combined 200 years of expertise and leadership in the construction of large diameter pipelines that encompass all regions and terrains across North America. We are also excited about the positive economic impact this project will have in communities across these three states, where SRC and its subcontractors expect to hire thousands of local workers and enlist the services of many local businesses."

In another significant milestone for the project, in early August FERC issued a Notice of Schedule, which established the timeline for the remainder of the project's federal environmental review process. Based on FERC's schedule, ACP expects to receive a FERC certificate in the late summer or fall of 2017, with construction beginning shortly thereafter. ACP anticipates completing construction and bringing the pipeline into service in late 2019. ACP is working with its contractors to evaluate the possibility of bringing on more crews and working on more simultaneous spreads in order to complete construction sooner. This analysis is expected to be finalized over the next few months.

Atlantic Coast Pipeline, LLC is composed of four major U.S. energy companies – Dominion, Duke Energy, Piedmont Natural Gas and Southern Company Gas. The joint venture partners plan to build and own the $4.5 billion-to-$5 billion pipeline, which would help meet the growing clean energy needs of Virginia and North Carolina by providing direct access to low-cost, abundant supplies of natural gas being produced in the nearby Marcellus and Utica shale basins of West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

About Dominion

Dominion (NYSE: D) is one of the nation's largest producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 25,700 megawatts of generation, 14,400 miles of natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipeline, and 6,500 miles of electric transmission lines. Dominion operates one of the nation's largest natural gas storage systems with 1 trillion cubic feet of storage capacity and serves more than 6 million utility and retail energy customers. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's website at www.dom.com. 

About Spring Ridge Constructors, LLC

SRC, LLC is a joint venture involved in the mainline pipeline construction industry.

About Duke Energy

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) is one of the largest electric power holding companies in the United States. Its regulated utility operations serve approximately 7.4 million electric customers located in six states in the Southeast and Midwest, representing a population of approximately 24 million people. Its Commercial Portfolio and International business segments own and operate diverse power generation assets in North America and Latin America, including a growing portfolio of renewable energy assets in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is an S&P 100 Stock Index company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available at www.duke-energy.com.

About Piedmont Natural Gas

Piedmont Natural Gas (NYSE: PNY) is an energy services company primarily engaged in the distribution of natural gas to more than one million residential, commercial, industrial and power generation utility customers in portions of North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, including customers served by municipalities who are wholesale customers. Our subsidiaries are invested in joint venture, energy-related businesses, including unregulated retail natural gas marketing, and regulated interstate natural gas transportation and storage, and regulated intrastate natural gas transportation businesses. More information about Piedmont Natural Gas is available on the Internet at www.piedmontng.com.

About Southern Company Gas

Southern Company Gas is a wholly owned subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE:SO), America's premier energy company.  Southern Company Gas serves approximately 4.5 million natural gas utility customers through its regulated distribution companies in seven states and more than 1 million retail customers through its companies that market natural gas and related home services. Other nonutility businesses include asset management for natural gas wholesale customers and ownership and operation of natural gas storage facilities. For more information, visit Southern Company Gas at www.southerncompanygas.com.

This news release includes certain "forward-looking information." Examples include information as to our expectations, beliefs, plans, goals, objectives and future financial or other performance or assumptions concerning matters discussed in this release. Factors that could cause actual results to differ from those in the forward-looking statements may accompany the statements themselves. In addition, our business is influenced by many factors that are difficult to predict, involve uncertainties that may materially affect actual results and are often beyond our ability to control or estimate precisely, such as estimates of future market conditions, access to and costs of capital, the receipt of regulatory approvals for, and timing of, planned projects and compliance with conditions associated with such regulatory approvals, and the ability to complete planned construction or expansion projects within the terms and timeframes initially anticipated. We have identified and will in the future identify a number of these factors in our SEC Reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q. We refer you to those discussions for further information. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which it is made.

SOURCE Dominion