Community & Environment
French Court Dismisses Lawsuit Against TotalEnergies Over Uganda Pipeline Project
Under the case filed in 2019, six French and Ugandan activist groups had accused the company of not doing all it could to protect people and the environment from the Tilenga oil development and the $3.5 billion East African Crude Oil Pipeline.
Mexico's Pemex Increased Gas Flaring at Top Field, Despite Pledge to Stop
In January, an estimated 1.3 billion cubic feet of gas were burned from four flares at the Papan and Perdiz plants meant to process gas from Ixachi, satellite data shows, up from 1 billion cubic feet in November when the promise was made.
Pemex Deer Park, Texas Fire Broke Out in Crude Distillation Area
A Thursday night fire at Pemex’s 312,500 barrel-per-day Deer Park, Texas, refinery broke out in a crude distillation unit, said people familiar with plant operations. The sources did not know which of two Deer Park CDUs were hit by fire.
Say ‘Aloha’ to New Trend of Hydrogen Blending with Hawaii Gas
(P&GJ) — While most of the naphtha is converted to methane, some hydrogen is produced in the steam reformer process, resulting in hydrogen concentrations of up to 10% to 15%. As natural gas utilities around the world look to hydrogen as a potential solution to decarbonization, the decades of experience Hawaii Gas already has with a hydrogen blend provide an insightful study into the performance of equipment using hydrogen blends.
EPA: US 2022 Power Plant Emissions Fell on Switch from Coal to Gas
U.S. power plant emissions of pollutants that harm human health and warm the planet fell last year as the industry continued a switch from coal to natural gas, the Environmental Protection Agency said on Friday.
FERC’s Pipeline, LNG Project Evaluations Looking at EJ
(P&GJ) — The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is devoting an increasing amount of attention and staff resources to the evaluation of impacts of interstate natural gas pipeline and LNG terminal projects on environmental justice (EJ) communities (that is, communities with disproportionately large minority and low-income populations).
ESG & Innovation: API Looks at Species, Habitat Conservation
(P&GJ) — The American Petroleum Institute (API) published a first-edition document focused on species and habitat conservation for onshore natural gas and oil production facilities that will help boost the industry’s existing practices to enhance environmental performance.
Chesapeake Utilities to Develop Florida RNG Facility
(P&GJ) — FPU Renewables LLC, a subsidiary of Chesapeake Utilities Corp., will construct, own and operate a dairy manure renewable natural gas (RNG) facility, a press release announced on Feb. 21. The project represents a capital investment of $22 million, with the first injection of RNG projected to occur in 2024.
Tokyo Gas Cuts Shareholder Returns to Invest in Decarbonization
Japan's Tokyo Gas will cut shareholder returns from the next financial year and use freed up funds to invest in technology to slash its carbon emissions, the company said on Wednesday. The company will pay out 40% of profits from the current 50% from the next financial year, it said.
Tanzania Approves Construction of New 900-Mile Crude Pipeline
(P&GJ) — The construction of a crude oil pipeline for $3.5 billion has been approved by Tanzania's government. The 1,443-km (900-mile) pipeline will carry crude from sizable oilfields being built in Lake Albert in northwest Uganda to a Tanzanian port on the Indian Ocean for distribution to global markets.
Damaged Line Triggers Natural Gas Leak in College Station, Texas
(P&GJ) — At around 4:00 p.m. on Monday, the Texas Avenue and Richards Street neighborhood was the scene of a gas leak that the College Station Fire Department and College Station Police attempted to contain.
US Energy Regulator Approves Partial Restart of Freeport LNG
The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the partial restart of two liquefaction trains, two tanks, and one loop and dock each, a filing showed on Tuesday. Restart of a third train, along with a tank, a loop, and a dock, would require additional permission.
Nord Stream Blast Inquiries Ongoing, Say Denmark, Sweden, Germany at UN
Investigations by Denmark, Germany and Sweden into explosions on the Nord Stream gas pipelines have not yet concluded, the three countries told the U.N. Security Council in a letter on Tuesday ahead of a meeting called by Russia on the September incident.
EPA Sets Soot Pollution Rule, Kinder Morgan Warns of Hefty Costs
The U.S. environmental regulator said it sent the White House its final plan to slash interstate smog and soot pollution from the power sector. Pipeline operator Kinder Morgan warned the plan would cost an estimated $4.1 billion in upgrades and retrofits to about 950 engines along its pipelines, which carry about 40% of the natural gas consumed in the U.S.
Navigator to Submit Expanded Proposal for 1,300-Mile Carbon Pipeline Project
(P&GJ) — Navigator CO2 plans to resubmit an enhanced proposal to the Illinois Commerce Agency before the end of February, over six months after initially submitting an application to the commission for its multistate pipeline. The expanded proposal is set to include at least one new sequestration site and an additional lateral route.
U.S. Treasury to Open Advanced Energy Tax Credit Applications on May 31
The U.S. Treasury said on Monday it will open applications on May 31 for $4 billion worth of new tax credits for advanced energy manufacturing and decarbonization projects, with $1.6 billion of those required to be in communities hit by closures of coal mines or coal-fired power plants.
UGI, Archaea Energy Partner to Develop Renewable Natural Gas Project in Pennsylvania
(P&GJ) — UGI Energy Services LLC and Archaea Energy Inc., a subsidiary of bp, have entered into a joint venture, Aurum Renewables LLC, to develop a renewable natural gas (RNG) project at the Commonwealth Environmental Systems landfill in Hegins, Pennsylvania.
Turkey's Ceyhan Oil Terminal, Iraq's KRG Pipeline Halted After Earthquake
Turkish pipeline operator BOTAS said there was no damage on main pipelines which carry crude oil from Iraq and Azerbaijan to Turkey. An emergency meeting will take place on the issue, the Tribeca shipping agency said.
Italian Union Files Legal Complaint Against Snam's LNG Terminal Over Environmental Concerns
The Italian trade union USB filed a legal complaint against a plan by gas grid operator Snam to set up a new LNG terminal in the Tuscan port of Piombino, it said in a press release on Friday.
Carbon Pipeline Company Sues Iowa County Over Local Siting Ordinance
The developer of a Midwest carbon capture pipeline network has sued Shelby County in Iowa, saying its ordinance restricting the siting of hazardous pipelines is overruled by a federal pipeline safety law.
2,000-Mile Carbon Pipeline Project Sparks Battle Among North Dakota Landowners
(P&GJ) — Landowners from North Dakota gave testimony on Jan. 27 in favor of and against Summit Carbon Solutions' use of eminent domain to construct a 2,000-mile carbon pipeline network beneath hundreds of homes and farms in the Midwest.
Texas Oil Regulator Advises Pipeline Operators to Prepare for Severe Winter Conditions
The Texas oil regulator on Sunday advised oil and gas pipeline operators to secure equipment and facilities after forecasts for severe weather over the next several days.
Exxon Stops Routine Gas Flaring in The Permian, Wants Others to Follow
Exxon Mobil Corp. said it has stopped routine flaring of natural gas from production in the top U.S. shale basin and will press for stronger regulations for rivals to do the same, company officials said in an interview.
Tennessee Community Pushes Against Kinder Morgan’s 32-Mile Cumberland Pipeline Project
(P&GJ) — Residents in Dickson County, Tennessee, are hesitant to welcome Kinder Morgan’s 32-mile-long Cumberland gas pipeline project in the community, citing concerns over living within the pipeline's "explosion zone," a fear sparked by a 1996 explosion in a neighboring town.
Keystone Pipeline Operator Recovers About 2,600 Barrels of Oil from Kansas Creek
Canada's TC Energy Corp. said it had cleaned up almost 2,600 barrels of oil from the largest U.S. crude spill in nearly a decade, but the timetable to restart the Keystone Pipeline following its rupture last week remained unclear.
TC Energy’s Keystone Pipeline Shut After Oil Release into Kansas Creek
TC Energy on Thursday said it shut the 622,000 barrel-per-day Keystone pipeline due to an oil spill into a Kansas creek. The size of the leak, which occurred about 20 miles south of a key junction in Steele City, Nebraska, is currently unknown.
Exxon to Exit Africa in Crude Phaseout, Eyeing Low-Carbon Natural Gas Options
Exxon's departure reflects a wider move by major oil producers to reduce crude production in West Africa and shift investments to lower-carbon natural gas development on the continent, and to more lucrative projects in the Americas.
US Proposes Rules to Limit Methane Leaks from Public Lands Drilling
The U.S Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management on Monday proposed rules to limit methane leaks from oil and gas drilling on public lands, the latest move by the Biden administration to crack down on the potent greenhouse gas.
Equitrans Expects to Stop Pennsylvania Gas Leak in Next Couple of Days
U.S. energy company Equitrans Midstream Corp. said on Thursday it expected to stop a natural gas leak at its Rager Mountain storage facility in Pennsylvania in the next couple of days.
White House Asks Congress for $500 Million to Modernize Oil Reserve
The Biden administration has asked Congress for $500 million to modernize the U.S. strategic petroleum reserve (SPR), a document outlining the request shows. The SPR oil is stored in hollowed-out, underground salt caverns that can shift and potentially require maintenance when petroleum is removed and replaced.
- Keystone Oil Pipeline Resumes Operations After Temporary Shutdown
- U.S. House Passes Bill to Reverse Biden's LNG Pause
- Mexico Orders Seizure of Hydrogen Plant at Pemex Oil Refinery
- Enbridge to Invest $500 Million in Pipeline Assets, Including Expansion of 850-Mile Gray Oak Pipeline
- MEG Energy Confirms Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion to Begin Line Fill in April