Operations
Death Toll Reaches 94 in Mexico Fuel Pipeline Fire Horror
People in the town where a gasoline explosion killed at least 94 people say the section of pipeline that gushed fuel has been a habitual gathering site for thieves, repeatedly damaged and patched like a trusty pair of jeans.
Thieves Siphon Whole Pipelines; Mexico to Ship Gas on Trains
Fuel thieves in Mexico have grown so bold they are drilling illegal taps under warehouses in big cities and siphoning off the entire contents of pipelines, Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said. He cited one pipeline carrying gasoline that thieves had drilled into so many times they had siphoned all the fuel in the duct.
PG&E Board Chair Sees Chapter 11 as ‘Only Viable Option’
Pacific Gas & Electric Co. said this week it will file for bankruptcy, raising concern that rates for electricity and gas will rise and victims of California wildfires who are suing the nation’s largest utility won’t get all the money they may be owed.
SoCalGas Asks Customers to Reduce Use, Cites Limits on Pipelines
Southern California’s gas utility extended its request for consumers to reduce natural gas use through the weekend, to avoid straining the system as cold weather lingers over the area.
Lawmakers Urge US Agency to Bolster Pipeline Cybersecurity
Two Democratic lawmakers urged the Department of Homeland Security to better protect U.S. oil and gas pipelines from cyber-attacks, after a report they requested detailed a lack of federal oversight of the critical conduits.
EAG
The EAG VOC Plus analyzer measures total VOCs from stationary sources with real-time continuous logging and multiple measurement ranges.
Government
Change of Class Location Draws Opposition Citizen organizations and state regulators are opposing interstate pipeline efforts to convince federal regulators to provide an alternative to the class location system, which requires pipelines to take steps when there is population growth around a pipeli..
Global News
Natural Gas Utilities Testing Demand Response Programs Demand Response (DR) programs have become a fairly common method of reducing electricity demand during summer peak periods, and now the approach is being tried by natural gas utilities – most recently due to concerns about limited pipeline capa..
Assuring Integrity of Polyethylene Gas Pipeline Systems
To maximize benefits, gas transporters continue to push polyethylene pipe design with more demanding applications, larger diameters and higher operating pressures. The risk of rapid crack progression and variables affecting performance must be considered when increasing the diameter and wall thickness of PE pipe.
Columbia Gas’ Merrimack Valley Accident: Fallout Just Starting
Federal and state agencies immediately jumped into action to uncover causes and preventative lessons that might be learned from the fatal September explosions, but other investigations could have implications for pipeline operations far beyond Massachusetts.
Retiring Stavropoulos Leaves PG&E a Safer Utility
Eight years after joining PG&E in the wake of the San Bruno explosion, Nick Stavropoulos retired as an industry role model for restoring a sense of pride at the giant San Francisco utility.
7 Most Important Questions to Ask a Fabricator
The process you use to select a fabricator can make or break your project. Here are some questions every company should ask before they choose a fabricator.
Human-Centric Approach to Improving Pipeline NDE Reliability
Non-destructive evaluation is essential to assure long-term integrity of existing pipelines, and human performance is a key element of the NDE process. This article summarizes an effort to identify human performance factors that influence NDE measurements and reliability.
Panel to Take Closely Watched Vote on Atlantic Coast Pipeline Station
A massive winter storm delayed a closely watched vote in Virginia on a natural gas pipeline compressor station that's been the frequent target of protests. Dominion Energy needs the State Air Pollution Control Board to sign off on a permit to build a station in Buckingham County to pump gas through the planned Atlantic Coast Pipeline.
Keeping Up with the Times: Mechanical Grooved Couplings Still Deliver
It is not often that looking backward provides insight into the future, but examining the evolution of the world’s first mechanical coupling can give us an indication of what lies ahead.
Gas Remains Key to UK Energy
Gas is a key element of the U.K.’s energy mix, but the closure of Centrica’s Rough long-term storage facility last year reduced U.K. gas storage to only 14 days of capacity, compared with 87 in France, 69 in Germany and 59 in Italy.
Senstar
Senstar introduced the FiberPatrol FP7000 fiber-optic pipeline integrity monitoring system for both gas and liquid-carrying pipelines. It can also be used for fence-mounted intrusion detection.
Improving Methane Emissions from Natural Gas Transmission, Storage
Interstate natural gas transmission companies are committed to minimizing methane emissions. This article explains methane emission sources for the transmission and storage sector and the basis for emissions commitments that INGAA members have voluntarily adopted.
The Future Arrives: Virtual Reality Safety Training
Companies such as Peoples Gas & North Shore Gas Company have begun to explore virtual reality platforms to supplement traditional gas meter safety and inspection training.
Feds Open Criminal Probe into Natural Gas Explosions
Federal prosecutors are conducting a criminal investigation into the natural gas explosions and fires that rocked three communities north of Boston in September.
NuStar Energy Agrees to Sell Its European Operations to Inter Pipeline
NuStar Energy agreed to sell its European terminals and related assets to Inter Pipeline’s European storage subsidiary, Inter Terminals, for $270 million.
Evacuation Lifted after California Gas Pipeline Scare
Emergency crews extinguished a fire burning dangerously close to a Chevron underground natural gas pipeline Thursday and lifted an evacuation order that had forced some 4,000 residents from their homes the night before.
Evacuation Ordered Near Chevron Gas Storage Fire
A fire that ignited in an underground natural gas storage area in the San Francisco Bay Area prompted the evacuation of thousands of residents, as Chevron emergency crews worked Thursday to purge gas from a pipeline and prevent an explosion, officials said.
GITA's Limbruner sees Bright Future for Sector
Mark Limbruner, the current president of the Geospacial Information & Technology Association (GITA), shares his perspective after three decades in the geospatial industry.
GE's Avitas Gains First BLVOS Approval after Shell Oil Study
Avitas Systems, a GE venture, received the first civil approval to fly an unmanned aerial vehicle with radar beyond visual line of site (BVLOS) after a successful study with Shell Oil, marking an important step toward long-range pipeline monitoring with drones.
Firefighters Sue SoCal Gas over Aliso Canyon Leak
Firefighters who worked in and around the site of a massive natural gas leak have sued Southern California Gas Co., alleging the utility knowingly let them be exposed to dangerous levels of toxic chemicals.
Nigeria Pipeline Explodes, Killing 19; Oil Thieves Suspected Cause
A Nigerian official says at least 19 people are dead after a leaking oil pipeline exploded in the southeast, while villagers say the toll is higher.
Canada Pipeline Blast Risks Washington Natural Gas Shortage
A pipeline explosion in British Columbia risks cutting off the flow of Canadian natural gas to Washington State, and companies are urging customers to conserve.
Gas Line Rupture Prompts Evacuation in British Columbia
A natural gas transmission pipeline ruptured in a rural area north of Prince George in the Canadian province of British Columbia, prompting precautionary evacuations, pipeline owner and operator Enbridge said.
Open Season Launched for Plantation Pipeline Expansion
Kinder Morgan today started an binding open season to solicit commitments for the Roanoke Expansion project on the Plantation Pipe Line System.
- Kinder Morgan Proposes 290-Mile Gas Pipeline Expansion Spanning Three States
- Valero Plans to Shut California Refinery, Takes $1.1 Billion Hit
- Three Killed, Two Injured in Accident at LNG Construction Site in Texas
- Tallgrass to Build New Permian-to-Rockies Pipeline, Targets 2028 Startup with 2.4 Bcf Capacity
- TC Energy Approves $900 Million Northwoods Pipeline Expansion for U.S. Midwest
- U.S. Pipeline Expansion to Add 99 Bcf/d, Mostly for LNG Export, Report Finds
- Enbridge Adds Turboexpanders at Pipeline Sites to Power Data Centers in Canada, Pennsylvania
- Great Basin Gas Expansion Draws Strong Shipper Demand in Northern Nevada
- Cheniere Seeks FERC Approval to Expand Sabine Pass LNG Facility
- Heath Consultants Exits Locate Business to Expand Methane Leak Detection Portfolio
