On Monday, July 13, 2026, Chesapeake Utilities put a major South Florida energy project on the map, unveiling plans for a 24-inch natural-gas pipeline that would run from Palm Beach County down to Miami-Dade County to ease long-standing supply bottlenecks in the region. The line, dubbed the Florida Energy Pathway, carries an estimated price tag of about $1.2 billion and is targeted to enter service in 2030, pending final commissioning. Chesapeake says the project is already backed by nearly 250,000 dekatherms per day in firm commitments and will lean on upstream capacity tied to Florida Gas Transmission’s Phase IX expansion.
Company details and commitments
In a press release distributed via PR Newswire, Chesapeake Utilities said its Florida transmission subsidiary, Peninsula Pipeline Company, will develop, construct and operate the Florida Energy Pathway and is now taking binding commitments for firm transportation service on the new line. The company added that it is reviewing financing options for the roughly $1.2 billion buildout, plans to bring in one or more third-party partners to invest in and own up to 49 percent of the total project, and expects to walk investors through the opportunity on its second-quarter earnings call in August.
Where the gas will come from
According to Chesapeake, upstream capacity feeding the new pipeline will be provided by Florida Gas Transmission in connection with FGT’s Phase IX expansion. As outlined by Energy Transfer, Phase IX is slated to add new loop segments, compression upgrades and roughly 526 million cubic feet per day of incremental capacity. That buildout plan, complete with a multi-county looping strategy and environmental survey work, underpins how Chesapeake expects to lock in the firm volumes already contracted for the Florida Energy Pathway.
Local impacts, permitting and safety
Peninsula Pipeline Company, Chesapeake’s intrastate transmission unit in Florida, is set to operate the line and will have to work through state permitting, local easements and community outreach as the route and construction details are finalized. Guidance from Peninsula Pipeline notes that intrastate pipelines in Florida fall under the jurisdiction of the Florida Public Service Commission and that operators coordinate closely with landowners and local emergency responders during both construction and ongoing operations.
Financing, jobs and next steps
Chesapeake pegs total investment for the Florida Energy Pathway at approximately $1.2 billion and says the project is anchored by firm commitments totaling nearly 250,000 dekatherms per day from multiple investment-grade shippers, according to PR Newswire. Company executives plan to lay out more specifics on capital plans and timing during the upcoming earnings call, while the overall schedule for the line still hinges on final engineering design, permitting milestones and commissioning activities before gas can start flowing later in the decade.
