The North Alabama Public Energy District (NAPED) has begun preliminary work on a proposed natural gas pipeline that would run across North Alabama, marking an early but significant step in a project that could shape the region’s energy supply and landowner relationships for decades.
The North Alabama Public Energy District (NAPED) has begun preliminary work on a proposed natural gas pipeline that would run across North Alabama, marking an early but significant step in a project that could shape the region’s energy supply and landowner relationships for decades.
According to Axios, roughly 1,000 letters have gone out to landowners situated along the proposed route. Crews are now conducting soil testing within a 200-foot right-of-way, work aimed at narrowing down the final 50-foot easement where the pipeline itself would eventually be buried. Todd Gentle, gas operations director for Huntsville Utilities and NAPED’s project manager, confirmed the details to Axios.
The corridor under study spans 123 mi, beginning in northwestern Lauderdale County and running north of Athens and Huntsville before curving south into Scottsboro and terminating in Hollywood, near the Bellefonte Nuclear Plant.
Gentle told Axios the wide study corridor has led to some landowner confusion, with several assuming construction would occur across the entire 200-foot span rather than the much narrower final easement. He described the current phase as preliminary environmental work meant to determine whether the corridor is viable at all — not a construction plan. Public meetings are expected to follow. Once finalized, the 50-foot easement would need to stay clear of permanent structures, though landowners could still farm it or grow shallow-rooted trees.
Axios reported that the initial assessment is examining geographic obstacles, wetlands, soil composition, and the potential presence of Native American artifacts along the route. Assuming the corridor holds up, NAPED would move into a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review — a process Gentle estimated would take about two and a half years. During that stretch, project work would center on design and coordination, since, per Gentle’s comments to Axios, no easement discussions with landowners can happen until the environmental reviews are complete.
The pipeline’s viability hinges on landing an anchor customer — specifically a new natural gas power plant in the 1,200- to 1,400-megawatt range. Gentle told Axios that conversations are underway to secure that commitment. The plant itself would operate independently of NAPED, which would exist to supply it with gas. Huntsville Utilities spokesperson Joe Gehrdes indicated to Axios that the Tennessee Valley Authority could factor in either as the plant’s operator or through a power purchase agreement with whoever does.
Huntsville currently relies on two natural gas pipelines — the fully subscribed Black Bear Pipeline and the Southern Natural system. Gentle said the region has exceeded its capacity in recent years, incurring financial penalties in the process, which pushed NAPED to explore alternatives. Scottsboro, which lacks any connection to major transmission pipelines, has reportedly been asking Huntsville for help securing natural gas access for roughly five years.
NAPED formed last summer through a joint effort by Huntsville, Athens, and Scottsboro, following a 3-2 Huntsville City Council vote, with the stated goal of securing reliable and economical long-term natural gas supplies. Since then, Axios reports the project has picked up $150,000 from Athens and $600,000 through the upcoming state budget. At the federal level, U.S. Rep. Dale Strong’s original $15 million funding request was reduced to $3 million and is still awaiting a full House vote.
Gentle told Axios that completing the initial study will bring the project to a go/no-go decision point. Because NEPA reviews are costly, NAPED wants a contractual agreement with an anchor tenant locked in before that process begins. If the project stays on schedule, construction could start in the third quarter of 2030, with the pipeline entering service in the fourth quarter of 2031.
