November 2023, Vol. 250, No. 11

(P&GJ) — With its approval of the Willow Project on the North Slope Alaska early this year, along with its continued of drilling permits on federal lands, the Biden administration has begun to show at least some desire to play ball where oil projects are involved, much to the chagrin of the anti-fossil fuel forces.

(P&GJ) — The Biden administration announced its latest effort to throw a wrench in pipeline construction. The Biden Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) wants to roll back Trump administration pro-pipeline changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

(P&GJ) — While the CEQ’s proposed NEPA changes would affect how all federal agencies review potential GHG emissions for various industry energy construction projects, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) wants to restrict methane emissions for already-installed pipelines, as well as new ones.

(P&GJ) – The list of companies leading the way in Pipeline & Gas Journal’s 42nd annual 500 Report will certainly be familiar to long-time midstream observers, with little shake-up in rankings occurring between the 2022 and 2023 editions of the publication.

(P&GJ) – In the last two years, while the Biden administration has been embracing direct-air capture (DAC) hubs, Houston-based Occidental Petroleum Corp. (Oxy) and its one-time spinoff, California Resources Corp. (CRC), have been leading increased industry interest in the transportation and storage of carbon, in the transition to a zero-emissions energy world.

(P&GJ) — Belgian TSO Fluxys and Norway’s state oil and gas company Equinor are working on plans for a 620-mile (1,000-km) pipeline that could export CO2 from industrial clusters in Zeebrugge, Belgium to storage sites offshore Norway. An extension to industrial sites in the port of Dunkirk, France is also under consideration.

(P&GJ) – The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) announced the list of companies that accepted licenses following the U.K.’s first-ever carbon storage licensing round.

(P&GJ) — The Russian pipelines’ sector is experiencing serious pressure amid ever tightening sanctions and the ever-growing isolation of the country in the international arena. Historically, pipelines have been a strategic asset in Russia, with the largest volume of cargo coming in the form of crude oil and natural gas.

(P&GJ) — With the Gas To Energy project, the government of Guyana will — for the first time — produce energy using the associated natural gas produced in the Liza offshore fields of the Stabroek Block.

(P&GJ) – The Brazil gas and pipelines sector hopes to attract about $20 billion in investments for its development by 2028, thanks to de-monopolization of the industry and the adoption of new legislation, according to recent statements, made by leading market participants and state analysts.

(P&GJ) — Pipeline integrity is critical for ensuring the safe transportation of oil and gas products. Internal corrosion is an element of pipeline integrity that poses a significant concern for operators. According to PHMSA, “internal corrosion historically accounts for approximately 60% of all pipeline incidents caused by corrosion in transmission and gathering pipelines.”

(P&GJ) — Even as the world needs energy desperately — particularly natural gas — takeaway capacity has been proved insufficient in several natural gas fields in the United States.

(P&GJ) — What drives paradigm shifts? Are paradigm shifts in industry the result of changes in behavior which lead to technology innovation, or does technology innovation precede paradigm shifts in behavior? This existential “what came first, the chicken or the egg” question may not have a universal answer, but in mature, risk averse, and regulated industries, the answer is almost universally the latter.

(P&GJ) — Pipeline integrity management systems (PIMS) are now in common practice, driven by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) requirements in the U.S. In June 2022, PHMSA updated an advisory bulletin on earth movement and geohazards, to monitor changing weather patterns and consider the risk posed by climate change.

(P&GJ) — In the following interview, David Fink, president of the Plastics Pipe Institute Inc. (PPI), talks about the growing demand for plastic pipe in the oil and gas industry, how PPI helps to establish energy standards and the advantage of plastics where horizontal directional drilling is used.

Canada’s Trans Mountain oil pipeline expansion, expected to almost triple the flow of crude from Alberta to the nation’s Pacific Coast, will reshuffle North America’s supply by diverting barrels to the U.S. Midwest and Gulf Coast, analysts predict.

(P&GJ) — The Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) and its member companies have released their “Integrity Management – Continuous Improvement (IMCI) 2.0” program work products. The IMCI program is a series of voluntary initiatives to bolster the industry’s safety efforts.

(P&GJ) — Plastometrex, a provider of advanced mechanical testing technologies, received a successful independent review of the pipeline validation testing data from its novel material verification tool.

Worley will develop the FEED and EPC scope of work for QatarEnergy LNG’s CO2 sequestration facility, in Ras Laffan, Qatar, capable of capturing 4.3 mtpa of CO2.

Latest industry developments from around the world!

Esco, Juniper, Dinkle, Fecon, Sensirion, and more!

Association news, personnel changes and mergers and acquisitions in November 2023!