Southeast Supply Enhancement Project (SSEP)

This page provides information on current activities related to Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company’s (Transco’s) Southeast Supply Enhancement Project (SSEP). The purpose of this pipeline project is to transport natural gas from an existing Transco station and an interconnect with Mountain Valley Pipeline’s Main Line project in Virginia with delivery points in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama.

A portion of the SSEP designated as the Eden Loop is proposed to be located in Pittsylvania County, Va., and Rockingham County, N.C. (A pipeline loop is a segment of pipe constructed parallel to an existing pipeline to increase capacity.) In Virginia, the Eden Loop would include the construction of 26.8 miles of 42 inch diameter pipeline. The SSEP also proposes the addition of two electric motor-driven compressor units at Transco’s existing compressor station in Virginia.

In the Commonwealth, the construction of natural gas pipelines is regulated under several environmental programs.

On Dec. 23, 2025, DEQ issued VWP Individual Permit No. 25-1277 for the Transco Southeast Supply Enhancement Project:

View the permit: SSEP_2025-12-23_Final VWP Individual Permit No. 25-1277

View the permit appendix: SSEP_2025-12-23_Final VWP Individual Permit No. 25-1277 - App. A

On Dec. 23, 2025, DEQ issued the Upland 401 WQ Certification for Transco's Southeast Supply Enhancement project:

View the certification: SSEP_2025-12-23_Final Upland 401 WQ Certification No. 25-001

On Feb. 26, 2026, DEQ issued Minor Modification No. 1 for the SSEP's Final VWP Individual Permit No. 25-1277, to correct administrative errors:

View the modification: SSEP_2026-02-26_Minor Modification No. 1 of Final VWP Indv. Permit

Virginia Water Protection (VWP) Permit

DEQ administers the VWP permit program, which follows state regulations and federal guidelines under the Clean Water Act. State law requires that a VWP Permit be obtained before disturbing a wetland or stream by clearing, filling, excavating, draining, or ditching. Applications can be made through the Joint Permit Application (JPA) process.

In June 2025, DEQ received a JPA for Transco's SSEP. Attachment A of the JPA included a VWP Permit Application, which DEQ reviewed (in accordance with VWP Permit Program Regulation 9VAC25-210-10 et seq).

View all JPA documents and attachments submitted for the SSEP on the Virginia Marine Resources Commission’s website.

A Public Notice of the Draft VWP Permit was published by DEQ on Sept. 20, 2025.

View the Public Notice on the Virginia Regulatory Town Hall website.
View the Draft VWP Permit: scroll down to the ‘Project Documents’ tab, and click on file below ‘DEQ’s Draft Virginia Water Protection (VWP) Individual Permit No. 25-1277;’ or click on the file below:

SSEP_2025-09-16_Draft VWP Individual Permit No. 25-1277_updated

The Public Hearing for SSEP’s draft VWP Permit was held on Oct. 22, 2025, at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research’s Barkhouser Auditorium, located at 150 Slayton Ave. in Danville, Va. DEQ staff presided over the hearing, and a court reporter was present to document comments provided by the public and other meeting attendees on the draft permit.

The Public Comment Period for the Draft VWP Permit opened on Sept. 20, 2025, and closed on Nov. 10, 2025.

Summary of Public Comments and Responses

Before issuing a final decision on the draft VWP Individual Permit and the tentative Upland 401 WQ Certification decision for Transco’s SSEP, DEQ published a summary of public comments received during the public comment periods and public hearings for the aforementioned decisions, as well as DEQ’s responses to the summarized comments (9VAC25-210-172).

View the comment summary and responses: SSEP_Summ. of Comments - VWP Ind Permit & Upland 401 Cert

Summary of Comments Public Hearing

DEQ held a Summary of Comments Public Hearing on Dec. 18, 2025, at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research’s Barkhouser Auditorium, located at 150 Slayton Ave. in Danville, Va. The purpose of the hearing was to provide an opportunity for individuals who previously commented on the draft VWP Permit and/or the tentative Upland 401 WQ Certification decision for the SSEP (either at a public hearing or in writing during the public comment periods) to respond to the department’s public comment summary and responses. A Public Notice for this Summary of Comments Public Hearing was issued on Dec. 4, 2025.

View the Public Notice on the Virginia Regulatory Town Hall website, or by clicking on this link: SSEP_Pub. Notice - Summ. of Comments Pub. Hearing.

More information on the Public Hearing can be found on the DEQ Calendar.

Final VWP Permit

On Dec. 23, 2025, DEQ issued VWP Individual Permit No. 25-1277 for the Transco Southeast Supply Enhancement Project.

View the final VWP Permit: scroll down to the end of the ‘Project Documents’ tab, and click on files below the ‘DEQ’s Final Virginia Water Protection (VWP) Individual Permit No. 25-1277’ subheading; or click on the files below:

SSEP_2025-12-23_Final VWP Individual Permit No. 25-1277

SSEP_2025-12-23_Final VWP Individual Permit No. 25-1277 - App. A

Administrative Modification - Minor Modification No. 1

On Feb. 26, 2026, DEQ issued Minor Modification No. 1 for the SSEP's Final VWP Individual Permit no. 25-1277, to correct administrative errors.

View the minor modification: SSEP_2026-02-26_Minor Modification No. 1 of Final VWP Indv. Permit

Upland 401 Water Quality (WQ) Certification

The conditions and requirements of a VWP Permit do not cover activities in upland areas, outside of wetlands and streams, that may result in a discharge to state waters. The construction of natural gas transmission pipelines greater than 36 inches inside diameter, that are subject to a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity under § 7c of the federal Natural Gas Act (15 U.S.C. § 717f(c)), may include activities in upland areas that could have the potential to affect water quality, but do not fall within the scope of the VWP Permit program. In these situations, the issuance of a VWP Permit as well as a Section 401 Water Quality Certification together fulfill the certification requirements under the Clean Water Act.

An application was submitted by Transco to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in October 2024 for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity for the SSEP. The portion of the SSEP natural gas pipeline to be constructed in Virginia would have a 42-inch diameter. Therefore, in June 2025 Transco submitted an Upland 401 Water Quality (WQ) Certification Application to DEQ.

A Public Notice of the Tentative Upland 401 WQ Certification Decision was published on Sept. 20, 2025.

View the Public Notice on the Virginia Regulatory Town Hall website.

View the tentative decision: scroll down to ‘Project Documents’ tab and click on the file below ‘DEQ’s Tentative Upland 401 Quality Certification No. 25-001;’ or click here.

The Public Hearing for SSEP’s tentative Upland 401 WQ Certification decision was held on Oct. 23, 2025, at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research’s Barkhouser Auditorium, located at 150 Slayton Ave. in Danville, Va. DEQ staff presided over the hearing, and a court reporter was present to document comments provided by the public and other meeting attendees on the tentative decision.

The Public Comment Period for the tentative Upland 401 WQ Certification decision opened on Sept. 20, 2025, and closed on Nov. 10, 2025.

Summary of Public Comments and Responses

View the comment summary and responses: SSEP_Summ. of Comments - VWP Ind Permit & Upland 401 Cert

Summary of Comments Public Hearing

View the Public Notice on the Virginia Regulatory Town Hall website, or by clicking on this link: SSEP_Pub. Notice - Summ. of Comments Pub. Hearing.

More information on the Public Hearing can be found on the DEQ Calendar.

Final Upland 401 Water Quality Certification

On Dec. 23, 2025, DEQ issued the Upland 401 WQ Certification for Transco's Southeast Supply Enhancement project.

View the final Upland 401 WQ Certification: scroll down to the end of the ‘Project Documents’ tab and click on file below ‘DEQ's Final Upland 401 Water Quality Certification No. 25-001’ subheading; or click on the file below:

SSEP 2025-12-23 Final Upland 401 WQ Certification No. 25-001

State Surface Water Determination (SSWD)

To evaluate impacts to state surface waters (such as streams, wetlands, and open waters) from the SSEP, these features must first be identified, or delineated. This delineation is an essential part of the project’s VWP permit application (use the ‘Virginia Water Protection (VWP) Permit’ drop-down tab on this page for more details about the SSEP’s VWP Permit Application) and Joint Permit Application (JPA). DEQ requires that the delineation be performed in accordance with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) 1987 Manual (and applicable Regional Supplements), approved by DEQ, or that a USACE Jurisdictional Determination is received.

Before submitting the SSEP’s VWP Permit Application, Transco submitted two State Surface Water Determination (SSWD) requests to DEQ – one for SSEP’s Cherrystone Permittee-Responsible Mitigation (PRM) site project, and another for the construction of the SSEP natural gas pipeline itself. (DEQ works with Professional Wetland Delineators to make its own SSWDs for VWP Permits.) In June 2025, DEQ issued a Preliminary Virginia SSWD for the Cherrystone PRM site project, and another Preliminary Virginia SSWD for the pipeline construction.

Documents related to these SSWD requests and DEQ issuances can be found under the ‘Project Documents’ drop-down tab.

Cherrystone Permittee-Responsible Mitigation (PRM) Site Project

For projects impacting wetlands, Virginia law requires compensatory mitigation “to achieve no net loss of existing wetland acreage and no net loss of functions in all surface waters” (9VAC25-210-116.A). This means that when wetlands and surface waters are impacted, compensation is required. Compensation options include purchasing mitigation bank credits or in-lieu fee program credits, as well as the development of a PRM site. When a permittee develops a PRM site, they will undertake the restoration, establishment, enhancement, or in some cases preservation, of a wetland site to offset wetland impacts from a project. The permittee is then responsible for the monitoring, preservation, and long-term management of the wetland site (33 CFR 332.3).

For the SSEP, Transco purchased stream credits and proposed the development of a PRM site on the northwestern side of Transco’s existing Right-of-Way (at the Batterman Road/Fairview Road - Route 703 intersection in Pittsylvania County, Va.; Cherrystone Creek is located immediately north of the area surveyed for the SSWD). In the development of the Cherrystone PRM site project, Transco would impact surface waters in order to restore these wetlands and create the PRM site. For this reason, a separate SSWD was needed for the Cherrystone PRM site project.

Other Regulatory Oversight & Authority

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)

In May 2024, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a 'Notice of Scoping Period Requesting Comments on Environmental Issues for the Planned Southeast Supply Enhancement Project.' In June 2024, FERC also issued a 'Notice of Scoping Meetings and Extension of Scoping Period for the Planned Southeast Supply Enhancement Project.' In response to these notices, DEQ and Virginia's other natural resource agencies submitted comments and recommendations to FERC.

In Oct. 2024, Transco filed an application requesting a 'Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity' to FERC, to authorize the construction and operation of the SSEP. FERC issued an Environmental Assessment (EA) for the SSEP on Oct. 31, 2025. On Jan. 29, 2026, a 'Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity' was issued by FERC order, authorizing Transco to construct and operate the SSEP.

FERC issued a 'Notice to Proceed with Construction' for SSEP on Feb. 25, 2026.

View the notice: SSEP_2026-02-25_FERC - Notice to Proceed with Construction

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)

In June 2025, Transco submitted a Joint Permit Application (JPA), which included a request for a Department of the Army (DA) permit for the SSEP, under the provisions of Section 404 of the Clean Water Act.

View the JPA documents on the Virginia Marine Resources Commission's website.

In response, the USACE issued a Public Notice of the JPA submittal, soliciting comments from the public and other interested entities.

The USACE issued a Section 404 permit for the construction of the SSEP on Feb. 19, 2026.

View the Section 404 permit: SSEP_2026-02-19_USACE - Sec. 404 Permit NAO-2024-02627

Other State Entities

Transco has also applied to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) and the North Carolina Division of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) for additional permits related to the SSEP. On Dec. 19, 2025, NCDEQ approved an Individual 401 Water Quality Certification for the project.

Project Documents

State Surface Water Determination (SSWD)

Cherrystone PRM Site Project (Preliminary Va SSWD issued by DEQ on June 12, 2025):

Cherrystone PRM_2025-06-12_SSWD No. 000385_Det. Ltr

1. Final Report SSWD-000385_2025-06-04

2. Final Report SSWD-000385_2025-06-04_updated maps

3. Final Report SSWD-000385_2025-06-04_delineation map

SSEP Natural Gas Pipeline Construction (Preliminary Va SSWD issued by DEQ on June 13, 2025):

SSEP_2025-06-13_SSWD No. 000214 - Det. Ltr

1. Final Report SSWD-000214_2025-06-12

2. Final Report SSWD-000214_2025-06-12

3. Final Report SSWD-000214_2025-06-12

4. Final Report SSWD-000214_2025-06-12

5. Final Report SSWD-000214_2025-06-12

6. Final Report SSWD-000214_2025-06-12_delineation map

VWP Application (received by DEQ on June 6, 2025)

1. SSEP_Overall Permit Cover

2. SSEP_VA - JPA

3. SSEP_VA - EJ Report_final

4. SSEP_VA01 - WOTUS Delineation Report.1

5. SSEP_VA01 - WOTUS Delineation Report.2

6. SSEP_VA01 - WOTUS Delineation Report.3

7. SSEP_VA01 - WOTUS Delineation Report.4

8. SSEP_VA01 - WOTUS Delineation Report.5

9. SSEP_VA02 - DHR Coordination

10. SSEP_VA03 - Unanticipated Discovery Plan for Cultural Resources and Human Resources_updated

11. SSEP_VA04 - Federal and State Listed Species

12. SSEP_VA05 - ETS Coordination

13. SSEP_ VA06 - VWPP_Checklist

14. SSEP_VA07 - USACE IP_Checklist

15. SSEP_VA08a - JPA_Standard_printed

16. SSEP_VA08b - Property Access Agreement

17. SSEP_VA09 - 401 Certification Request

18. SSEP_VA10 - Typical cross sections

19. SSEP_VA11 - Transco Plan and Procedures

20. SSEP_VA12 - LOD Greater than 75 Feet Information

21. SSEP_VA13 - Standard Vicinity Map

22. SSEP_VA14 - Standard USGS Map

23. SSEP_VA15 - APO Information

24. SSEP_VA16 - RPO Information

25. SSEP_VA17 - Permits Licenses

26. SSEP_VA18 - Alternatives

Looking for the entire Joint Permit Application (JPA)? Click on this link to view all JPA documents and attachments submitted for the SSEP on the Virginia Marine Resources Commission’s website.