Infrastructure

Kinder Morgan Forecasts 11% Profit Increase for 2024 on Growing Demand

Kinder Morgan on Monday forecast higher 2024 earnings as the U.S. pipeline operator bets on increased demand for transporting crude oil and gas liquids.

Petroecuador Exceeds 400,000 bpd Crude Oil Output; Addresses Oil Spill in Shushufindi River

Ecuador's state oil company Petroecuador said Sunday that crude oil output surpassed 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) for the first time since January 2021.

Michigan Regulators Approve Enbridge Great Lakes Tunnel for Oil Pipeline

Michigan regulators on Friday approved Canadian pipeline company Enbridge's application to build a tunnel under the Great Lakes to house its aging Line 5 oil pipeline, a major step forward for the $750 million project.

Mountain Valley Pipeline Owner Equitrans Considering Asset Sale

While there is no certainty that the company would decide to proceed with the sale, it would likely attract interest if it were to launch a sale process in early 2024, coinciding with the expected completion of the Mountain Valley pipeline.

Williams Becomes Third Largest DJ Basin Gatherer with Cureton Front Range, RMM Acquisitions

(PGJ) — Williams secures the third-largest DJ Basin gathering position by acquiring Cureton Front Range LLC, including gas gathering pipelines and two processing plants, and 100% ownership in Rocky Mountain Midstream Holdings LLC.

Drones Used to Improve Safety of Pipelines

(P&GJ) — There’s no way around it — infrastructure inspection is as risky and dangerous as it is vital. For the past few years, companies have begun experimenting with unmanned aerial systems (known as UAS, or drones) to help improve worker safety, among other benefits.

DIMP-Related Replacement Work Continues in U.S.

(P&GJ) — While the amount of work to replace cast-iron and bare-steel pipe has declined in volume – following the implementation of the Gas Distribution Integrity Management Program (DIMP) in 2009 – there is still plenty of construction left to be done.

Editor’s Notebook: Trouble in the Heartland

(P&GJ) — It seems that even CO2 pipelines — a centerpiece of the Biden administration’s net zero greenhouse gas reductions policy — can’t catch a break when it comes to getting out of the starting block where permitting and public opinion are concerned.

RSI Verifies Validation Results for Pipeline Tool

(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.

Elliott Takes $1 Billion Stake in U.S. Pipeline Operator Phillips 66, Urges Board Revamp

Elliott Investment Management has taken a $1 billion stake in Phillips 66 and is urging the U.S. oil refiner and pipeline operator to revamp its board to boost lagging performance.

Occidental in Talks to Buy Permian Producer CrownRock

Occidental Petroleum is one of the finalists in the auction for CrownRock, an energy producer in the west Texas area of the Permian basin, with a bid of more than $10 billion. ConocoPhillips, Diamondback Energy, Devon Energy, Marathon Oil and Continental Resources were also studying potential bids.

Cambodia Scraps Coal Power Project to Build Gas-Fired Plant, Import LNG

Cambodia has abandoned plans to build a $1.5 billion 700 megawatt (MW) coal-fired power project in a protected reserve along the southwestern coast and will build an 800 MW natural-gas fired plant instead, its energy minister told Reuters.

Europe Studies Mega-Projects for Piping CO2 Offshore

(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.

CEZ Books 2 Bcm Capacity at German LNG Terminal

Czech majority state-owned utility CEZ has agreed to book 2 billion cubic meters (Bcm) of annual capacity at the Stade LNG terminal in Germany from 2027, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on Thursday.

Brazil Midstream Hopes for $20 Billion Infusion by 2028

(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.

Full Production Restored at Chevron's Gorgon LNG Facility After Electrical Incident

Full production has returned to a liquefied natural gas (LNG) train at Chevron's Gorgon facility in Western Australia, a company spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Balticconnector Gas Pipeline to Expand Transmission Capacity Post-Repair

The Balticconnector gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia, which was damaged last month, will get a bigger northbound transmission capacity next year following repairs, Finnish operator Gasgrid said in a statement on Wednesday.

Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Affects Seven Producers, Investigation Underway

U.S. officials said on Tuesday seven energy companies have been impacted by an oil discharge near Main Pass Oil Gathering Co.'s (MPOG) pipeline system in the Gulf of Mexico that is estimated to have released more than a million gallons of crude oil.

US Paves the Way for a New Era in Hydrogen: Federal Funding Boosts Clean Hydrogen Initiatives

The Biden administration strengthened its support for clean hydrogen back in October by funding a range of proposed development hubs spread across the United States.

Wolf Carbon Solutions Initiates Withdrawal of Carbon Pipeline Application in Illinois

Wolf Carbon Solutions has moved to withdraw its permit application in Illinois to build a carbon capture pipeline that would transport as much as 12 million tons of carbon dioxide annually to a storage site in the state, according to a company filing in the state regulatory commission docket.

US Coast Guard Investigates Source of 1.1 Million Gallons Oil Leak in Gulf of Mexico from Underwater Pipeline

The U.S. Coast Guard on Monday said it was still looking for the source of a leak from an underwater pipeline off the Louisiana coast in the Gulf of Mexico that it estimated had released more than a million gallons of crude oil.

EACOP Unveils 897-Mile Heated Oil Pipeline with Advanced Environmental Safety Technology

Due to pump its first crude oil in 2025, the EACOP integrates a sophisticated fiber-optic network for continuous online connectivity, ensuring real-time monitoring via satellite along its entire length.

TC Energy Receives FERC Approval for Virginia Reliability Project

Columbia Gas Transmission’s Virginia Reliability Project (VRP) is an expansion project that would replace two existing segments of the pipeline system to continue reliable and abundant natural gas supply.

Japanese Firms, Petronas to Launch CO2 Storage Project by Late 2028

Japanese companies have agreed to develop a carbon capture and storage (CCS) project with Malaysian energy firm Petronas which should start holding its first carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from end-2028, Japan Petroleum Exploration Co. said on Monday.

Venezuela Close to Approving Offshore Gas License with Trinidad, Shell

Venezuela is close to approving a license for Shell and the National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago to develop a promising offshore natural gas field and export its production to the Caribbean country, two people close to the matter said.

Kuwait-based Investment Firm Secures Minority Stake in Pipeline Inspection Provider Pipecare Group

Kuwait-based Gulf Investment Corporation (GIC) said on Monday it has acquired a significant minority stake in Pipecare Group Holding, a major provider of pipeline inspection services.

ConocoPhillips' $8 Billion Willow Project Approvals Upheld by US Judge

A federal judge in Alaska upheld U.S. approvals for ConocoPhillips’ multibillion-dollar Willow oil and gas drilling project in the state’s Arctic on Nov. 9, rejecting environmental and indigenous groups' concerns that the project poses too large of a climate threat.

Japan's Okinawa Electric Plans to Trial Using Hydrogen at Gas-Fired Power Plant

Japan's Okinawa Electric Power plans to start co-firing hydrogen on a trial basis at a commercial gas-fired power plant from March in a bid to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, its president said on Friday.

US Coast Guard Heads Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Cleanup After Underwater Pipeline Leak

The U.S. Coast Guard was leading an oil spill clean-up in the Gulf of Mexico on Friday, partnering with local and federal agencies and companies after a Main Pass Oil Gathering Co. (MPOG) underwater pipeline began leaking.

Environmental Groups Call for Funding Halt to TotalEnergies' Mozambique LNG Project

Banks and other financiers should withdraw their support of TotalEnergies' $20 billion LNG terminal in Mozambique, environmental lobby groups urged in a letter sent to more than two dozen project funders on Friday.