by Kate Shunney
The new 3-mile Columbia Gas pipeline put into service in June between Fulton County, Pa. and Morgan County, W.Va. cost double what the company estimated, according to a report filed on November 5 with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
A Final Cost Report was submitted to the federal energy agency for the Eastern Panhandle Expansion project, which was first approved in July of 2018. Delays in permitting on the Maryland side of the Potomac River kept the project on hold until 2024. Construction began on the gas line in October of 2024 and was substantially completed in May of 2025.
photo courtesy of TSC Energy
According to the cost report from TC Energy for Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC, the total cost of the 3.4-mile pipeline project was $45.6 million. It was estimated to cost $24.97 million.
In a breakdown of cost differences, Columbia Gas noted that there were “higher than expected” costs due to the unavailability of some material, raised labor costs due to tighter deadlines and additional oversight from management and greater survey costs tied to “complications during the Potomac River HDD crossing.” Columbia also encountered higher costs for land settlements with Fairview-related pond impacts, engineering and inspection costs to reroute the pipeline after a drilling bit blockage stopped the pipeline’s original pathway and outside services.
Specifically the report recounts more expensive services needed “primarily due to unforeseen drilling fluid circulation issues during the Potomac River HDD crossing, driven by karst formations, which required environmental cleanup, mitigation measures, and grouting the pilot hole.”
Some environmental remediation is still ongoing in the Hancock area due to disturbance of a spring in the construction area on Berm Road. According to an October 30, 2025 project update, restoration of the construction area is 99.8% complete with erosion control devices in place and vegetation reseeded where ground was disturbed along the pipeline path.
In Morgan County, the Columbia Gas pipeline connects to an existing Mountaineer Gas line that was put in place several years ago, awaiting the Pennsylvania gas supply.
