Natural Gas

Biden Administration Greenlights LNG Exports from Alaska Project

The Biden administration on Thursday approved exports of LNG from the Alaska LNG project, a document showed, as the United States competes with Russia to ship natural gas from the Arctic to Asia. The project includes a proposed 807-mile (1,300-km) pipeline to move gas stranded in northern Alaska across the state.

Peninsula Pipeline Completes $11 Million Natural Gas Expansion Project in Florida

(P&GJ) — Chesapeake Utilities Corp. has announced that its subsidiary, Peninsula Pipeline Company Inc., has completed an 11.3-mile expansion that will bring additional natural gas capacity to the Vero Beach, Florida, area.

Natural Gas Producer Novatek Expected to Win Big from Shell's Sakhalin-2 Stake

Russian natural gas producer Novatek has scooped a lucrative deal with its purchase of Shell's stake in the Sakhalin-2 energy project, analysts said on Thursday.

ADNOC Expands Shipping Fleet with Five New VLGCs

United Arab Emirates' ADNOC Logistics & Services (ADNOC L&S) has expanded its fleet with the deployment of five new-build Very Large Gas Carriers (VLGC), state news agency WAM reported on Thursday.

Biden's Subdued Reaction to OPEC+ Cuts Foreshadows Economic Slowdown, Carries Risk

When OPEC+ made a surprise decision earlier this month to cut oil production, President Joe Biden responded with the political equivalent of a shrug – a far cry from his declaration that there would be “consequences” for Saudi Arabia, the de facto head of the oil cartel, when it lowered output in October.

Kinder Morgan Launches Expansion Open Season for SFPP Pipeline System

(P&GJ) — Kinder Morgan Inc. has announced the launch of a binding open season to solicit commitments to support a proposed expansion of a portion of its SFPP, L.P. (SFPP) pipeline system from El Paso, Texas, to Tucson, Arizona.

Malaysia's Petronas to Restart Gas Pipeline Operations by Q1 2024

Malaysia's national oil company Petroliam Nasional Berhad aims to restart a gas pipeline currently under force majeure by the first quarter of 2024, a senior company executive said on Wednesday.

Hungary Agrees on Option for More Russian Gas Shipments, Oil Transit Fees

Hungary's foreign minister said on Tuesday that Russian energy giant Gazprom would maintain an option to supply additional gas to Hungary this year on top of the shipments agreed under a long-term deal.

Libya's Mellitah Oil Reopens Gas Well in Mediterranean

Libya's National Oil Corp. announced on Saturday the reopening of a gas well operated by Mellitah Oil and Gas Company on its Sabratha Platform in the Mediterranean Sea.

Hawaiʻi Gas Issues Request for Proposals for Renewable Natural Gas, Renewable Hydrogen

(P&GJ) — Hawaiʻi Gas is seeking proposals from local and national suppliers who can provide up to 65,000 therms of RNG or up to 2,300 kg per day of renewable hydrogen. This request is the equivalent of replacing nearly all of the utility’s synthetic natural gas with RNG.

WSJ: Exxon Eyes Potential Purchase of Shale Driller Pioneer

Exxon Mobil Corp. has held preliminary talks with Pioneer Natural Resources Co. about a possible acquisition of the U.S. shale oil producer, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

WSJ: Dominion Energy, National Grid Pursuing Sale of Natural Gas Pipelines

Utility firms Dominion Energy and National Grid Plc are separately considering a potential sale of parts of their natural gas pipeline networks, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.

QatarEnergy Awards LNG Contract to Baker Hughes for North Field South Gas Project

(P&GJ) — Baker Hughes has been awarded a contract from QatarEnergy to supply two main refrigerant compressors for the North Field South project, which will be executed by Qatargas. The project will boost Qatar’s LNG production capacity from 110 million to 126 million tons by 2027.

Sources: Baghdad Agrees to 30% Stake in TotalEnergies $27 Billion Iraq Energy Project

Baghdad has reached an agreement to hold a 30% stake in TotalEnergies long-delayed $27 billion Iraq project, three sources told Reuters on Tuesday, reviving a deal that Baghdad hopes could lure back foreign investment into the battered country which craves stability.

Sources: Ovintiv Nears $4 Billion Deal to Acquire EnCap’s Permian Oil, Gas Assets

Ovintiv Inc. is nearing a deal to acquire oil exploration and production assets in the Permian Basin that are controlled by private equity firm EnCap Investments for about $4 billion including debt, people familiar with the matter said on Sunday.

Perspective: Why US Natural Gas Output Keeps Rising as Prices Sink

U.S. natural gas prices last week plunged to a 30-month low, crossing below $2 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) for the second time this year, even as some producers have cut drilling to stave off further convulsions.

China’s LNG Imports to Show Small Rebound in 2023

The import rebound could be smaller than some analysts anticipate because domestic gas production is rising strongly and the country has mostly completed its transition to natural gas for urban residents.

Spire Adds Storage in Rockies, Western US

(P&GJ) — To meet the growing energy demands in the Rockies and Western U.S., Spire Storage is expanding its facilities in Wyoming, with partial availability of additional natural gas storage capacity becoming available in 2024.

Uganda Approves Construction of 898-Mile Crude Pipeline

Uganda approves construction of 898-mile crude pipeline, Biden backs scaled-back ConocoPhillips Alaska oil project, construction of 106-mile gas pipeline to Serbia underway, Coastal GasLink pipeline costs expected to top $10 billion and more.

INGAA Chairman Amato Sees Permitting, Workforce Development Among Priorities

(P&GJ) — New INGAA Foundation Chair Paul Amato doesn’t exactly come from the hotbed of the natural gas industry, but in a manner of speaking, he became part of it as soon as possible. During this interview with P&GJ, Amato discusses, among other issues, his first impressions of INGAA, training and retaining younger talent, and keeping an eye on methane reduction and other permitting issues.

SGA’s New Chair Stresses Operational Excellence

(P&GJ) — The new chair of the Southern Gas Association (SGA), Luke Litteken, started his career in natural gas right out of technical college taking a job with Minnegasco (now CenterPoint Energy) in Minnesota as a technician, partly because he enjoys the outdoors. Twenty-five years later, he had the opportunity to move over to Xcel Energy, where he is now the senior vice president of the gas business.

Learning to Manage Risk of Over-Pressurizing Gas Pipelines

(P&GJ) — According to data from the International Energy Agency (IEA), in 2020, the world consumed 3.7 Tcf of natural gas. In other words, nearly 10 billion cubic meters of natural gas was transported daily from production sites to homes, businesses, and power plants worldwide through pipelines spread across millions of miles. Most of these pipelines operate underground, 24/7, quietly delivering a vital service to people across continents.

Tass: Gas Pipeline Under Repair in Siberia Catches Fire

A natural gas pipeline that was being repaired in northern Siberia caught fire on Wednesday but there was no disruption to supplies, Tass news agency cited Gazprom as saying.

BP, ADNOC Offer to Buy 50% of Gas Producer NewMed Energy for $2 Billion

BP and Abu Dhabi's state oil giant ADNOC on Tuesday offered to jointly acquire 50% of Israeli offshore natural gas producer NewMed Energy for around $2 billion, making their entry into Israel's growing energy sector.

Using Data to Digitalize Oil and Gas Industry

(P&GJ) — The oil and gas industry has been historically slow to adopt new technologies and truly take advantage of the digital tools that are widely available and extensively used in other sectors. This is partially due to the expansive operations that often span many thousands of kilometers, and the seemingly great expense it would take to update a network.

Energy Transfer to Acquire Lotus Midstream for $1.5 Billion, Adding 3,000 Miles of Permian Pipeline

By purchasing Lotus Midstream, Energy Transfer will gain the Centurion Pipeline and an additional 3,000 miles of crude gathering and transportation pipelines that stretch from New Mexico through the Permian Basin of West Texas to Cushing, Oklahoma.

ConocoPhillips to Pay $500 Million to Raise Stake in Australia's APLNG

ConocoPhillips currently holds a 47.5% stake in APLNG, one of the largest suppliers of natural gas to Australia's East Coast. Origin and China's Sinopec hold the remaining shares in APLNG.

Oman's OQ Seeks Bookrunners for Gas Pipelines IPO, Sources Say

Oman's OQ Gas Network, the pipelines business of the sultanate's state oil giant OQ, has invited banks to pitch for bookrunner roles in its planned initial public offering (IPO), two sources close to the matter told Reuters.

Spotlight on Brazil: Government Promotes Five New Gas Pipelines

(P&GJ) — A division of Brazil's Ministry of Energy recently published a document outlining a plan for $4 billion in investments to finance the construction of five gas pipelines focusing on gas flow from the Sergipe-Alagoas basin and gas from the pre-salt field.

Virginia Natural Gas Receives Approval for Renewable Natural Gas Pilot Program

(P&GJ) — The five-year pilot program will allow for the production and delivery of RNG into Virginia Natural Gas' pipeline system and support the procurement of both RNG and next-generation natural gas.