Williams Partners has received the go-ahead from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for its $3bn Atlantic Sunrise expansion project in the US.

The project will involve an expansion of the existing Transco natural gas pipeline to connect Marcellus gas supplies with markets in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern US.

Williams Partners’ senior vice president of the Atlantic-Gulf operating area Rory Miller said: “While we are still reviewing details of the certificate order, we are pleased FERC has approved this much-needed energy infrastructure project, which will leverage existing infrastructure to help millions of Americans gain access to affordable Pennsylvania-produced natural gas.

“Today, Pennsylvania is the second-largest producer of natural gas in the US Projects like the Atlantic Sunrise that will help the state maximize the tremendous economic benefits that this local resource holds.”

Construction on the project’s mainline portion is expected to commence in mid-2017, while work on the Central Penn Line that constitutes the greenfield portion is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2017.

It is expected to directly and indirectly create about 8,000 jobs in the ten Pennsylvania counties during the construction phase. The pipeline is anticipated to become operational in mid-2018.

* Data provided by Timetric's Construction Intelligence Center.