Infrastructure

US Intelligence Suggests Pro-Ukrainian Group Sabotaged Nord Stream Pipelines -NYT

New intelligence reviewed by U.S. officials suggests that a pro-Ukrainian group carried out the attack on the Nord Stream pipelines last year, the New York Times reported on Tuesday.

Occidental to Use Siemens Energy Compressors at Direct Air Capture Plant in Permian Basin

(P&GJ) — Siemens Energy compressors will be used at Occidental’s first large-scale Direct Air Capture plant in Texas’ Permian Basin, the company announced on March 6. The equipment will compress the captured CO2 for additional processing and pressurize the final product into a pipeline for injection into underground reservoirs.

Mountain Valley Pipeline Gets a Key Approval to Restart Construction

The Biden administration has determined that restarting construction on the Mountain Valley Pipeline won’t significantly jeopardize rare fish and other endangered species along its path, clearing a major hurdle that was keeping developers from finishing the project.

Equinor's Hammerfest LNG Plant Suffers Gas Leak, Production Unaffected

Norway's Hammerfest LNG plant was hit by a gas leak on Friday but production was unaffected, a spokesperson for operator Equinor told Reuters.

Police: Blast at Shell's Nigeria Oil Pipeline Kills 12

An explosion on a Nigerian oil pipeline owned by Shell killed at least 12 people on Friday, authorities at the scene said, while members of the affected community in Emohua said they feared many more had died in the blast.

Nigeria Oil Pipeline Blast Kills At Least One in Niger Delta

A crude oil pipeline explosion killed at least one person and injured another on Friday, authorities on the scene said, while members of the affected community in Emohua said they feared many more had died in the blast.

Sources: Russia Set to Mothball Damaged Nord Stream Gas Pipelines

Russia's ruptured undersea Nord Stream gas pipelines are set to be sealed up and mothballed as there are no immediate plans to repair or reactivate them, sources familiar with the plans have told Reuters.

Europe Takes Steps Toward Developing Hydrogen Pipeline Network

German energy firm RWE and Norwegian oil and gas producer Equinor are planning the construction of new combined-cycle gas turbines (CCGTs) in Germany, blue hydrogen production facilities in Norway, and the implementation of hydrogen pipelines between the two countries.

Tellurian Says Chairman Sold Stock Ahead of Looming End of Gunvor Contract

U.S. LNG developer Tellurian Inc. said in a federal filing late Wednesday that its Executive Chairman Charif Souki sold about $1.1 million of Tellurian stock days before an LNG purchase agreement with commodity trader Gunvor Ltd was set to expire on Feb. 28.

New Fortress Plans to Start Producing LNG at Altamira, Mexico in July

U.S. company New Fortress Energy Inc. said on Tuesday it planned to finish building its first Fast LNG unit in May before moving the plant to offshore Altamira in Mexico in June and producing LNG there in July.

Pipeline Operator Enbridge to Buy US Gulf Coast Gas Storage Facility for $335 Million

Calgary, Alberta-based pipeline operator Enbridge Inc. said it would buy a gas storage facility in Tres Palacios in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico coast region for $335 million to strengthen its LNG export business.

Oilfield Services Firm Atlas Energy Aims for $2 Billion Valuation in US IPO

The company provides logistics services to customers in the oil and natural gas industry within the Permian Basin of West Texas and New Mexico. It plans to raise $414 million in an offering priced between $20 and $23 per share.

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.

Tellurian Faces New Setback as Financing Looms for $13 Billion Driftwood LNG Project

Tellurian Inc. is facing a new setback in a long-running effort to advance a $12.5 billion U.S. LNG export project. Commodities trader Gunvor Ltd. can walk away from a 10-year, about $12 billion commitment to buy LNG if Tellurian's Driftwood LNG project lacks a financial go-ahead, project financing and a full construction authorization by Feb. 28.

Enagas Buys 80-Mile Gas Pipeline Network in Northwestern Spain for $57 Million

Spanish grid operator Enagas has bought a 130-km (80-mile) gas pipeline network from energy firm Reganosa while selling the latter a 25% stake in its El Musel regasification plant in northern Spain, the companies said on Tuesday. The acquisition of the pipeline network cost $57.33 million.

Venture Global Strikes 20-Year LNG Supply Deal with Excelerate Energy

U.S. LNG company Venture Global LNG has agreed to supply 0.7 million tonnes of LNG per annum to Excelerate Energy Inc. for 20 years. The LNG will be delivered to Excelerate from Venture's Plaquemines LNG facility in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana.

Harvest Midstream to Expand Gathering Infrastructure with Paradigm Midstream Acquisition

(P&GJ) — The North Dakota and South Texas assets are comprised of four wholly owned gathering systems known as the Charlson Gathering System, Van Hook Gathering System, Mountrail Gathering System, and Eagle Ford Gathering System. These systems consist of approximately 350 miles of trunk lines and gathering lines for oil, gas, and water.

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.

Oman's Abraj Signs Oil Drilling, Extraction Deal with Chevron, Kuwait Gulf Oil Company

Oman's Abraj Energy Services said on Saturday it had signed a five-year 'strategic partnership deal' with Kuwait Gulf Oil Company and Saudi Arabian Chevron to extract and drill for oil in Kuwait.

East Africa Pipeline Project Kicks Up Climate Change Controversy

(P&GJ) — Construction of the 896-mile (1,443-km) cross-border East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project continues to elicit objections, as well as strong arguments in its favor by the governments of Uganda and Tanzania. The main contentious issues are the possible adverse effects of the project might have climate change, and alleged human rights violations.

Coming of Age with Increase in Australian Pipeline Market

(P&GJ) — Just one year on from establishing a new entity in Australia, pipeline technology specialist STATS Group, is looking forward to a bright future after securing frame agreements with some of the region’s largest Tier 1 operators.

New Approach to Digital Pipeline Integrity Management

(P&GJ) — Pigging is an operation that is regularly required by pipeline operators for both cleaning and data collection (intelligent pigging). Managing pigging schedules and risks is a significant challenge to operators/pigging vendors without an intimate knowledge of the pipeline.

Nanoparticles Transform Pipeline Cleaning, Integrity Management

(P&GJ) — Oil, gas, and multi-phase pipelines can be fouled with several types of deposits or internally restrictive debris. The actual type of fouling is dependent upon several factors including: the production fluid characteristics such as hydrocarbon product, water, and gas composition; the presence and composition of common oilfield contaminants, such as hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, mercury, arsenic, zinc, lead, iron, and manganese and operating conditions (e.g., temperature, pressure, pH, flow regimes, etc.).

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).

China Gas Holdings Secures LNG Supply Deals with Venture Global for 40-Year Term

China Gas Holdings has agreed to two 20-year LNG supply contracts with U.S. exporter Venture Global, adding to a flurry of deals signed between China and the U.S. since 2021. It would buy a total of two million tonnes per year of LNG from Venture Global under the two contracts with supply set to kick off in 2027.

Focus on Integrity: Three Strategies for More Secure Pipeline Operations

(P&GJ) — The safe movement of liquids and gases across the pipeline infrastructure of the United States is critical. Whether pipelines are delivering fuels for transportation or home energy, feedstocks used to manufacture a wide variety of plastics and specialty chemicals, or any of the myriad other products that keep nations running, pipeline companies must ensure that operation continues without incident 24/7.

DNV Kicks Off Phase Two of Offshore Hydrogen Pipeline Project H2Pipe

(P&GJ) — Phase 2 of H2Pipe will include a feasibility-level design of offshore hydrogen pipelines and a risk assessment study to examine the safety aspects of offshore hydrogen pipelines. The project's primary outcome is expected to be a detailed guideline offering specific guidance for use in the design and re-purposing of offshore pipelines for hydrogen transport. Phase 2 of H2Pipe is planned to start in Q1 2023 and last 2 years.

Cheniere Initiates Permit Process for Key Sabine Pass Project Expansion

Cheniere Energy Inc. on Thursday initiated an expansion permit process of LNG export capacity at its key Sabine Pass plant in Louisiana after the exporter topped revenue estimate on strong demand following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Expanding Gas Infrastructure Presents Alternative to Permian Constraints

(P&GJ) — Oil is still serious business in the Bakken Shale, but when it comes to midstream, the money is on natural gas. As in the Permian Basin, oil production in the Williston has a high rate of associated natural gas. But the Bakken’s residual gas is rich in natural gas liquids (NGLs), and that requires infrastructure generally more akin to North Texas’ Barnett Shale than West Texas’ Permian.

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.