CHARLOTTE — Piedmont Natural Gas announced Friday that it has selected Matrix Service Inc., a subsidiary of Matrix Service Company, to build its liquefied natural gas facility in Robeson County.
The facility will help Piedmont Natural Gas continue providing customers with a reliable supply of natural gas during peak usage days, when extremely low temperatures create a higher-than-normal demand for natural gas.
The facility is expected to create up to 150 jobs during construction and 10 to 12 permanent jobs to manage operations. The project will provide more than $800,000 annually in tax revenue to Robeson County.
“Our highest priority is the safety of our natural gas infrastructure, our communities and our employees,” said Frank Yoho, president of natural gas operations at Duke Energy, parent company of Piedmont Natural Gas. “The contractor we selected had to share our emphasis on safety, offer proven excellence in this specialized construction, and commit to minimize disruption to our neighbors in Robeson County.”
The facility will be located in Robeson County, roughly halfway between Maxton and Red Springs, in an area already zoned for heavy industrial use. The 1 billion-cubic-foot storage facility will cover approximately 60 acres of a 685-acre piece of Piedmont-owned property. Construction is expected to begin this month with an estimated completion date in the summer of 2021.
An open house will be held later this month to let the community know what to expect as construction begins on the project.
“As an industry leader in low-temperature and cryogenic tanks and terminals, we are very pleased to have been awarded this important project,” said Matrix Service Company’s president and chief executive officer, John R. Hewitt. “We look forward to delivering this project safely, on time and on budget.”
