A private utility company is working to install a large diameter natural gas pipeline that will cross a portion of Coffee County as it runs 150 miles through Middle Tennessee.

The project, Southeast Connector, proposed by Southern Natural Gas, L.L.C., a 50/50 joint venture between Kinder Morgan and Southern Company, involves a 48-inch diameter pipeline through 10 Tennessee Counties, including Coffee.

The tentative route will run roughly north/south along the eastern edge of the county, crossing Rock Road, Asbury, and passing east of Hillsboro before crossing into Franklin County.

Kinder Morgan Vice President of Public Affairs Allen Fore said that in the coming month Southern Natural Gas will be meeting with the 99 Coffee County landowners who own land along the tentative 25-mile in-county route.

Fore said he will be discussing a contract one-on-one with landowners to compensate them for noninvasive surveying of the property to assess the suitability of it for a pipeline easement.

“The landowners are who are directly part of this system,” he said. “If we are on their property now and many years in the future, it’s important we have a good conversation and understand their properties. Every property is unique. Landowners know their properties best.”

Easements will be 50 feet in width. Special care is used to pick mostly agricultural areas, and those areas can be returned for their original use after construction.

“The good aspect of underground pipelines is that you are able to utilize your property for the most part what you utilized it for previously,” Fore said.

Farmers will be compensated during construction for the missed crop yield along the easement.

According to Southern Natural Gas, the plan includes compressor stations, though no above ground segments are planned for Coffee County.

Fore said the project will provide millions of dollars in tax revenue for local governments and local economies. The project is market driven based on an increased demand in access to reliable energy.

According to Southern Natural Gas, “Areas located southeast of I-65 are considered a natural gas desert. Without access to an industrial energy source, economic development of the area remains sparse.”

Southern Natural Gas met with County Mayor Dennis Hunt on Thursday, Oct. 1.

“It’s coming across our state, traversing many counties,” Hunt said via text. “Our current zoning would not hamper their project. President Trump’s energy independence policies will be flowing through our state and our county.”

The listed timetable gives an in-service date of the fourth quarter of 2030 and construction to begin in 2028.