Infrastructure
Kinder Morgan's California Renewable Diesel Hubs Begin Commercial Operations
(P&GJ) — Kinder Morgan Inc. has begun full commercial operation of its Southern and Northern California renewable diesel (RD) hub projects, the company said on April 3. RD is an alternative fuel that allows trucks, trains and any equipment that uses diesel to operate with significantly lower life-cycle emissions.
US Cities to Receive Nearly $200 Million to Upgrade Aging, Leaking Natural Gas Pipelines
(P&GJ) — The U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has awarded $196 million in grants to 37 projects spread across 19 states for the modernization of aging natural gas pipelines.
Bid to Pause ConocoPhillips' Alaska Willow Project Fails
A federal judge on Monday rejected a bid by environmentalists to temporarily suspend the U.S. government’s approval of ConocoPhillips' multibillion-dollar oil drilling project in Alaska’s Arctic.
Technip Energies Bags LNG Contract Valued at $273 Million
(P&GJ) — Shaanxi LNG Reserves & Logistics Co. Ltd. has given Technip Energies a large contract for the 3 million normal cubic meter per day Xi'An LNG Emergency Reserve & Peak Regulation Project in China. The deal is valued between $54.53 million and $272.67 million.
Baghdad, Erbil Sign Deal to Restart Northern Oil Exports
Turkey stopped pumping about 450,000 b/d of Iraqi crude through a pipeline from the Fish-Khabur border area to its Ceyhan port on March 25 after Iraq won an arbitration case.
Mountain Valley Pipeline's West Virginia Water Permit Tossed by Court
A federal appeals court on Monday vacated a water permit needed by developers to restart construction on the Mountain Valley pipeline in West Virginia, marking the latest setback for the $6.2 billion project.
JDR Secures Umbilical Contract with Petrogas Transportation
(P&GJ) — JDR, the global subsea cable supplier and servicer, has been awarded a contract by Petrogas E&P Netherlands to supply two umbilicals for the A15 and B10 offshore conventional gas fields in the Netherlands.
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.
Iraq to Ask Turkey to Restart Northern Oil Exports After Initial KRG Deal
Iraq's federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) have reached an initial agreement to restart northern oil exports this week, a KRG spokesman said on Sunday, and Baghdad will write to Turkey to request a resumption in pipeline flows.
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.
Creative Coating Solutions Make for Smooth Pipeline Expansion
(P&GJ) — How does an ambitious gas pipeline expansion, running nearly half the width of Texas, get coated? One spiral weld section of pipe at a time. To protect the more than 250 miles of new pipe added to the Whistler Pipeline in the southwest of the Lone Star State, applicators got inventive – creating an efficient and resourceful approach that helped the job flow as smoothly as the energy resources the pipeline now carries to millions of customers.
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.
Tech Notes: Getting Pipeline Integrity Data Assessment Under Control
(P&GJ) — Effective integrity management and compliance with newly released regulatory requirements rely on accurate and reliable data. Many operators have data management systems containing voluminous datasets representing their pipeline systems.
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.
Pipeline Leak Detection Audits Provide Invaluable Insights
(P&GJ) — Ensuring the continuing effectiveness of leak detection systems (LDS) is paramount for pipeline operators to meet tightening safety and environmental regulations and minimize the potential risks of catastrophic events.
Explainer: What Is the Iraq-Turkey Oil Pipeline Dispute and Who's on the Hook?
An international arbitration ruling on March 23 prompted the shutdown of Iraq's northern crude oil exports through Turkey and sent oil prices back towards $80 a barrel.
Venture Global LNG Delays Commercial Ops at Calcasieu Pass in Louisiana
U.S. liquefied natural gas company Venture Global LNG told federal energy regulators and customers this week that it needs to make repairs at Calcasieu Pass in Louisiana that will delay the start of the export plant's full commercial operations.
South Africa's Transnet Halts Gas Supplies After Pipeline Damage
South Africa's Transnet has halted gas supplies through its Durban pipeline after an excavator damaged it, the state-owned logistics utility said on Friday.
INGAA CEO Applauds US House for Passing the Lower Energy Costs Act
WASHINGTON, DC (P&GJ) — Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) President and CEO Amy Andryszak has issued a statement in support of H.R. 1 - the Lower Energy Costs Act, which passed in the U.S. House of Representatives with a bipartisan vote of 225-204.
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.
ABB India Automates 81-Mile India-Bangladesh Cross-Border Oil Pipeline
(P&GJ) — ABB India has delivered integrated automation and control solutions to enable the safe operation of the 130-km (81-mile) Indo-Bangla Friendship Pipeline (IBFPL), which will carry diesel from India to Bangladesh.
Sources: Canada's ATCO Gives Mexico Troubled Pipeline After Damage Award
Canada's ATCO Ltd. has agreed to transfer ownership to Mexico of an unfinished pipeline bogged down in a dispute with the Mexican state power company, two officials told Reuters, marking a rare breakthrough in ongoing tensions over energy.
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.
Mountain Valley Clears Permit Hurdle for 303-Mile Pipeline Project in Virginia
A federal appeals court on Wednesday backed construction authorizations for the $6.2 billion Mountain Valley Pipeline project in Virginia, after finding state regulators thoroughly reviewed the project's environmental impacts.
Analysts: Financial Hurdles Rise for Green-Lighting New US LNG Plants
The banking crisis added a new snag to rising interest rates and supply chain shortages for these multibillion-dollar projects, which months ago were seen as sure bets. Two of four new projects aiming for a financial okay this quarter have been pushed back, and others will face that higher bar, said analysts.
Oil Firms Halt or Cut Output in Iraqi Kurdistan After Pipeline Closure
Producers have shut in or reduced output at several oilfields in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region of northern Iraq following a halt to the northern export pipeline, company statements showed, with more outages on the horizon.
Colombia Cano Limon-Covenas Oil Pipeline Pumping Suspended for 12 Days
Oil transportation company Cenit, a wholly owned subsidiary of Colombia's majority state-owned energy company Ecopetrol, has suspended pumping operations along the Cano Limon-Covenas pipeline for 12 days as of Tuesday due to attacks on the infrastructure, it said.
Flat Rail Cars Essential to Transport of Pipeline Segments
(P&GJ) — Flat cars and railroads offer midstream companies the flexibility to move the pipe that makes oil and gas transportation possible. While supply chain issues have affected the flat rail car inventory, according to several leaders within the industry, pipeline sections have still been able to be transported from factory to storage yards by rail.
Senstar Wins Security Contract for Oil Pipeline Project in Africa
(P&GJ) — Senstar Technologies, a provider of sensing and information management solutions for the protection of critical infrastructure, has been awarded a significant oil pipeline project in Africa.
- Phillips 66 to Shut LA Oil Refinery, Ending Major Gasoline Output Amid Supply Concerns
- FERC Sides with Williams in Texas-Louisiana Pipeline Dispute with Energy Transfer
- U.S. Appeals Court Blocks Kinder Morgan’s Tennessee Pipeline Permits
- ConocoPhillips Eyes Sale of $1 Billion Permian Assets Amid Marathon Acquisition
- Valero Considers All Options, Including Sale, for California Refineries Amid Regulatory Pressure
- U.S. Appeals Court Blocks Kinder Morgan’s Tennessee Pipeline Permits
- Malaysia’s Oil Exports to China Surge Amid Broader Import Decline
- U.S. LNG Export Growth Faces Uncertainty as Trump’s Tariff Proposal Looms, Analysts Say
- Marathon Oil to Lay Off Over 500 Texas Workers Ahead of ConocoPhillips Merger
- Valero Considers All Options, Including Sale, for California Refineries Amid Regulatory Pressure