Operations

Gas Flow Resumes from Equitrans Pennsylvania Site After November Leak

Equitrans Midstream Corp. on Friday said it has received agency approvals to flow gas out of the Rager Mountain storage facility in Pennsylvania following a November natural gas leak that lasted for several days.

API Publishes Two Updated Standards for Underground Natural Gas Storage

(P&GJ) — The American Petroleum Institute released two second-edition standards on Nov. 29 for natural gas storage in underground salt caverns and depleted hydrocarbon and aquifer reservoirs to help ensure a safe and reliable energy supply.

JERA Expects Fire-Hit Freeport LNG Texas Shipments to Fully Resume by March

Japan's biggest buyer of LNG, JERA, expects Freeport LNG's production at its fire-hit Texas plant to partially resume in mid-December and its shipments to be fully back by March, President Satoshi Onoda said on Tuesday.

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.

Russia Says It Foiled Sabotage at 'South Stream' Gas Pipeline

Russia's Federal Security Service said on Thursday that it had prevented Ukrainian special services from carrying out what it said was sabotage on the "South Stream" gas pipeline.

Yemen's Houthis Attack Al-Dhabba Oil Terminal, Force Ship to Leave

Yemen's Houthis attacked al-Dhabba oil terminal in Hadhramaut province on Monday, the group and Yemen's internationally recognized government said.

Carbon Capture Not Ending Pipeline Woes

(P&GJ) — With growing demand and government incentives to develop more carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) capacity, some of the biggest U.S. pipeline projects now on the drawing board are designed to transport CO2 from source to storage.

Equitrans Stops Natural Gas Leak at Pennsylvania Storage Facility

U.S. energy company Equitrans Midstream Corp. said it stopped a natural gas leak at its Rager Mountain storage facility in Jackson Township in Cambria County in western Pennsylvania on Thursday afternoon.

Nord Stream Leaks Confirmed as Sabotage, Sweden Says

Investigators have found traces of explosives at the site of the damaged Nord Stream gas pipelines, confirming sabotage had taken place, a Swedish prosecutor said on Friday.

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.

Pipeline Fire Ignited by Gas Leak Leaves Five Injured in Ecuador

Ecuadorean state oil company Petroecuador said on Thursday five people were injured in a fire caused by a leak in a pipeline that carries gas to a refinery in the South American country's Amazon region.

Mexico In Talks with US Storage Providers to Set Up Gas Reserve

Mexico is in talks with U.S. storage providers to create a strategic gas reserve that could be used in emergencies, an official with the country's state power utility said, after a 2021 cold snap left businesses in northern Mexico without gas.

Suspected Drone Hits Oil Depot in Russia's Oryol, Officials Say

A suspected drone struck a tanker at an oil depot in the Russian region of Oryol on Wednesday, officials said. Unverified images on social media showed what appeared to be a single rupture on the side of an oil storage tank, blackened by soot.

One Killed, Two Injured in Petronas-operated Pipeline Explosion in Malaysia

Malaysian state energy company Petronas reported a fire at the Sabah-Sarawak Gas Pipeline near Lawas on Wednesday afternoon, which the Borneo Post online said led to an explosion that killed one person and injured two others.

Methane Cloud Linked to Fire at Kinder Morgan Compression Station

(P&GJ) — U.S. pipeline operator Kinder Morgan Inc. said that a methane cloud seen above Alabama last month was possibly triggered by a natural-gas discharge following a fire at a compressor station owned by the company.

Nord Stream Operator Granted Permission to Survey Danish Waters

Nord Stream AG, the operator of the ruptured Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, has been granted permission to survey an area in Danish waters, the Danish Geodata Agency told Reuters on Thursday.

German Navy Helping Norway Protect Oil Rigs, Pipelines

The German navy is helping Norway to protect critical maritime infrastructure such as oil rigs, undersea cables and pipelines, is ready to do the same off the Danish and Swedish coasts, its head said on Thursday.

Centrica Reopens UK's Rough Gas Storage Site in Time for Winter

British Gas owner Centrica has reopened its Rough gas storage site off England's east coast at about 20% of its previous capacity, enough to heat 1 million homes for 100 days this winter, the company said on Friday.

Boosting Pipeline Performance and Savings with Dual-Layer Barrier Systems

Oil and gas pipelines take a beating – both before and after they’re installed underground. From transportation and storage to installation and service, pipes face potential scrapes, impacts, flexions and more. These stresses threaten the integrity of the pipes themselves and, especially, the external barrier systems that protect pipes from corrosion.

Revised Cybersecurity Requirements Focus on Performance Measures

(P&GJ) — The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced the revision and reissuance of its Security Directive regarding oil and natural gas pipeline cybersecurity. This revised directive will continue the effort to build cybersecurity resiliency for the nation’s critical pipelines.

Analysis-Pipeline Blasts Leave Nord Stream in Insurance Limbo

With the mystery of the blasts that destroyed undersea gas pipelines between Russia and Germany unsolved, Nord Stream 1's insurers and reinsurers are grappling with how to respond to hundreds of millions of dollars in potential claims.

Pipeline Cybersecurity Implementation Plan for TSA Security Directive

(P&GJ) — The pipeline industry has been placing focus and efforts on cybersecurity ever since last year’s Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA’s) security directives were first issued. The security directives (SDs) were a pushed rollout that caught many off-guard at the time—they knew it was coming but did not know the exact details.

Cybersecurity Update: Aligning Industry Standard’s Best Practices

(P&GJ) — Cybersecurity, both interpersonally and geopolitically, has been protested over the past few years, sparked by stories of basement hackers breaking into government agency websites, nation-states warring on the dark web and hacktivists acting in the name of civil disobedience for political and social change.

Volatus Aerospace Acquires Over 300,000 Miles of Pipeline Right-of-Way Surveillance

(P&GJ) — Volatus Aerospace has acquired Synergy Aviation Ltd., which patrols and inspects more than 500,000 km of pipeline, stretching from the British Columbia coast to the Manitoba/U.S. border.

Druzhba Pipeline Leak Reduces Russian Oil Flows to Germany

Germany said on Wednesday it was receiving less oil but still had adequate supplies, after Poland found a leak in the Druzhba pipeline that delivers crude from Russia to Europe that Warsaw said was probably caused by an accident rather than sabotage.

Petronas Declares Force Majeure on Gas Supply to MLNG Dua After Pipeline Leak

Malaysia's Petronas said it has declared force majeure on gas supply to one of its liquefaction terminals, Malaysia LNG Dua, due to a pipeline leak caused by soil movement at the Sabah-Sarawak Gas Pipeline on Sept. 21.

Sherwin-Williams Finalist for P&GJ Award for Best Corrosion Technology

Sherwin-Williams Pipeclad 2060 Moisture-Resistant Overcoat (MRO) offers an innovative approach to minimizing pipeline costs via its exceptional damage protection capabilities. The MRO is applied over a traditional fusion-bonded epoxy coating and provides superior damage resistance during pipe handling, storage, and horizontal directional drilling applications.

The Path to Achieving TSA Pipeline Cybersecurity Directive Compliance

(P&GJ) — Colonial Pipeline CEO Joseph Blount had to make two difficult decisions on May 7, 2021, after a ransom note was discovered by an employee in a control-room computer. First, he acknowledged that the pipeline system that provides close to 45% of the fuel for the East Coast had to be shut down. Second, he authorized the $4.4 million ransom payment.

API Summarizes Enhanced Pipeline Leak Detection Standards

(P&GJ) — Leak prevention, mitigation and detection are critical to ensure pipelines operate safely and reliably to protect the public, workers, the environment and pipeline assets.

Sweden Sends Diving Vessel to Investigate Nord Stream Pipelines After Leak

Sweden sent a diving vessel on Monday to the site of Russian gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea that ruptured last week following blasts in the area, to probe an incident that has added new tension to Europe's energy crisis.