While our client’s business had expanded because of Marcellus Shale development and low gas prices, routing and permitting several miles of high-pressure transmission pipeline through the rolling hills of rural Pennsylvania was outside their normal project scope. So when Valley Energy, a Bradford County-based gas distribution company, considered how critical this pipeline was to building the Moxie Energy – Liberty Power Plant, they contracted a local pipeline expert to help navigate the complex permitting process. The power plant is one of the first natural gas-fired plants developed primarily to capitalize on low-cost, locally abundant Marcellus Shale gas, so a smooth project from inception to completion was paramount.

RETTEW was able to uphold the overall project schedule by obtaining all necessary local and state permits quicker than normal for the industry. These timely permit approvals were critical because the developer needed them to finance the power plant. We also reduced environmental impacts by routing a section of the 4.5-mile pipeline adjacent to an existing cleared right-of-way. This route minimized the tree clearing required to complete one section of the project. With the Moxie Pipeline connecting an existing natural gas transmission pipeline to this new gas-fired power plant, Valley Energy will have successfully accomplished a first for itself and its community.