Pipeline
Cyprus: Energy Deal Boosts Plans to Export Gas to Egypt
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — A move by British oil and gas company BG International to buy a stake in Cyprus' offshore mineral deposits is an important step forward for the country's plans to supply Egypt with natural gas, the east Mediterranean island's energy minister said Monday. Yiorgos Lakkotrypis said U.S. company Noble Energy has cut a deal with BG International for a 35% stake in an area, or block, where a field estimated to contain more than 4 Tcf of gas has been found.
Tennessee Gas Pipeline Files Certificate Application for NED Project
Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company (TGP), a Kinder Morgan company (KMI), made it official, filing a certificate application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for its proposed Northeast Energy Direct Project (NED). The $5 billion effort will expand TGP’s existing, extensive pipeline system in Pennsylvania, New York and New England, connecting low-cost natural gas supplies from northern Pennsylvania to New York and New England markets.
What Paris Attacks Mean for Commodities Prices
The Paris tragedy clearly showed the world that the war on terror has gone global. If that had not already been made clear by terror bombings in Baghdad, Beirut, and the Russian airliner in recent weeks, it was hammered home by Paris. Israeli media reports that no western intelligence picked up any signs of the attack plan. The grim message to the world: It could happen anywhere. For any that still needed to be convinced, the attack also revealed that the greatest threat to the west comes from radical Islam, not from Iran, Russia or China.
Quanta Services Wins Contract for REX Zone 3 Project
Rockies Express Pipeline selected Quanta Services to provide turnkey engineering, procurement and construction services for the REX Zone Three Capacity Enhancement Project. Quanta subsidiaries QPS Engineering and Price Gregory International will play key roles in the project, which includes installing three new compressor stations and upgrading of two existing stations.
Manslaughter Charges Filed in 2012 Black Elk Platform Blast
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal grand jury indicted two companies on involuntary manslaughter charges and three people face charges in a deadly 2012 explosion on an oil production platform in the Gulf of Mexico, the Justice Department said Thursday. The explosion and fire started during welding work on a platform owned by Black Elk Energy Offshore Operations LLC, killing three workers and injuring several others. In lawsuits and a federal report, the company and its contractors have been accused of failing to follow proper safety practices and rushing work.
TransCanadas New Contracts Lead to $570 Million NGTL System Expansion
In the aftermath of the Keystone XL decision, TransCanada announced its subsidiary, NOVA Gas Transmission (NGTL) has signed contracts for 2.7 Bcf/d of new firm natural gas transportation service that will require a $570 million system expansion for 2018. Significant growth in unconventional natural gas supplies in northwestern Alberta and northeastern British Columbia are the primary driver for these new contracts, coupled with continued growth in market demand, the company said.
Pilgrim Pipeline Submits Use and Occupancy Permit Application in New York
Pilgrim Pipeline Holdings announced it has filed a use and occupancy permit application in New York to construct the Pilgrim Pipeline. The proposed 178-mile pipeline project consists of two separate, parallel underground lines running between supply and distribution terminals in Albany and Linden, New Jersey.
EPA Intends Tougher Downwind Air-Pollution Rule in 23 States
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency proposed tougher new limits on Tuesday on smokestack emissions from nearly two dozen states that burden downwind areas with air pollution from power plants they can't control. At the same time, the EPA moved to remove two states — South Carolina and Florida — from the "good neighbor" rules, saying they don't contribute significant amounts of smog to other states. The EPA proposal came as Republicans in Congress moved to block President Barack Obama's plan to force steep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. power plants.
Why French Military Action In Syria Doesnt Affect Oil Prices
The horrific attacks in Paris prompted a swift response from French President Francois Hollande, as he dispatched an aircraft carrier to the Eastern Mediterranean a day after airstrikes hit the key city ISIS stronghold of Raqqa. The United States responded with airstrikes on Monday, November 16, targeting hundreds of trucks that the U.S. military believes are used for smuggling oil. <em>The New York Times </em>reported that 116 trucks were destroyed in American airstrikes by A-10 planes and AC-130 gunships in eastern Syria.
New Jersey Mayor: No One Called to Report Gas Smell
ELIZABETH, N.J. (AP) — Tenants at a house that exploded, killing one person and injuring several others, noticed an "overwhelming" gas smell the day before but didn't call any emergency agencies, though it remains unclear whether that was because they thought the owner knew about it. More details about the Wednesday morning incident also emerged, including that the ground floor of the building was being used as an illegal apartment with its gas and electricity supply apparently off the books, Elizabeth Mayor Chris Bollwage said.
Iran to Boost Oil Exports after Sanctions Lifted
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran says it will export an additional 500,000 bpd in a bid to reclaim its market share after sanctions are lifted under a landmark nuclear deal. Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh told reporters the increase is part of Iran's plan to double its crude oil exports as sanctions are lifted, which officials expect to happen in early 2016. OPEC member Iran currently exports 1.3 MMbpd and hopes to get back to its pre-sanctions level of 2.2 MMbpd, last reached in 2012.
Statoil Pulling Out of Alaska
Statoil is optimizing its exploration portfolio for long-term value and has decided to exit Alaska following recent exploration results in neighboring leases. The decision means the company will exit 16 Statoil-operated leases, and its stake in 50 leases operated by ConocoPhillips, all in the Chukchi Sea. The leases were awarded in the 2008 lease sale in Alaska and expire in 2020. The leases are seen by the company as no longercompetitive within the company’s global portfolio. The office in Anchorage will be closed as well.
Enlink Midstream Gains Full Ownership of Permian Basin Processing Plant
EnLink Midstream Partners announced its subsidiary has acquired full ownership in the Deadwood natural gas processing facility with the acquisition of an Apache Corporation subsidiary's 50% ownership interest. The facility is located in Glasscock County in the Texas Permian Basin and comes at an accretive cost of about $40 million. Pursuant to a 2011 agreement, EnLink and Apache jointly funded the development of a newly build processing facility in which each company held a 50% undivided ownership interest.
Mastering Inspection of Challenging Pipelines
Any inspection device used internally must be introduced into the pipeline to be investigated. This implies that the line is accessible. “Piggable” lines need suitable launchers and receivers and are generally inspected in a unidirectional mode. If tool traps are not available or suitable, access has to be achieved via other means. Accessibility can be achieved through technical and/or procedural means.
Retrofitting Customized Valves, Actuators for Pipeline Monitoring Stations
Oil and gas engineers face a major problem in accurately and reliably measuring and monitoring the various fluids that are introduced into oil pipelines from well site pumping stations. A thorough understanding of both the oil separation process and the properties of valves and actuators is required to correctly specify a system that will sufficiently measure and monitor these various types of fluids. Also, the conditions downstream from each well are different, requiring valves and actuators to be highly customized to their specific role in the process.
IEA Sees No Oil Price Rebound for Years But ...
Oil prices are likely to stay below $80 per barrel for another five years, according to a closely watched energy report. The International Energy Agency released its 2015 <em>World Energy Outlook</em>, with predictions for energy markets out to 2040. Although there are no shortage of caveats, the IEA projects that oil prices will only rebound slowly and intermittently, and the supply overhang will slowly ease through the rest of the decade. In its “central” scenario, it sees oil prices rebalancing in 2020 at $80 bbl, with increases in the years following.
Getting Basics of Construction Productivity Right
The U.S. midstream oil and gas construction industry has experienced tremendous growth over the past decade, forcing industry stakeholders from across the nation to work together under extreme environmental conditions, compressed project schedules, persistent labor fluctuations and ongoing cost pressures.
As Total US Crude Imports Fall, Canadas Import Supply Share Rises
Although overall U.S. crude oil imports have been declining since 2005, crude oil imports from Canada have been increasing. As of August, Canada provided 45% of all crude oil imports to the United States, almost three times as much as all Persian Gulf countries combined.
Blast Levels New Jersey Duplex; 1 Reported Dead
ELIZABETH, NJ (AP) — An explosion in northern New Jersey that leveled a duplex Wednesday, knocking a next-door neighbor out of bed, killing one resident and leaving two other people in critical condition with severe burns, officials said. In all, 14 people were taken to hospitals, including an 11-year-old who was one of the critically injured in the Elizabeth explosion, Mayor Chris Bollwage said. The names and ages of the victims weren't immediately released.
TransCanada Awarded Contract for Tuxpan Tula Pipeline in Mexico
MEXICO CITY – TransCanada announced it won the contract to build, own and operate the Tuxpan-Tula Pipeline in Mexico. Construction is supported under a 25-year natural gas transportation service agreement with the Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE), Mexico's state owned power company. The pipeline will originate in Tuxpan, in the state of Veracruz, and extend through the states of Puebla and Hidalgo, supplying natural gas to CFE combined-cycle power generating facilities in each of those jurisdictions, as well as to the central and western regions of Mexico.
Technip Awarded Contract Hydrogen Plant in Montana
Technip was awarded a contract by CHS Inc. to provide technology as well as engineering, procurement and construction for a 40,000-normal-cubic-meter-per-hour grassroots hydrogen plant at the CHS Refinery in Laurel, MT. The plant is part of ongoing upgrades to boost efficiency, increase diesel production and process additional crudes at its refinery.
GPR, EM Technologies Offer Rewards in Environmental Assessments
Geophysical surveys can be the bedrock – pardon the pun – of environmental projects, from locating abandoned underground storage tanks (USTs) and utilities, to complex mapping of geology in remedial investigations and finding landfill boundaries and other buried unknown problems.
Oil Market Uncertainties, Growing Natural Gas Production Projected in 2016
The <em>Pipeline & Gas Journal 35th Annual 500 Report</em> is the industry’s most comprehensive listing of U.S. energy pipeline systems. As in past years, the report ranks gas distribution, liquids and gas transmission systems. Gas transmission companies are listed by total miles of pipe. Gas distribution operators by number of customers and liquids pipelines by total crude oil and products delivered.
Ending Ban on Oil Exports Looms as Biggest Hurdle for Oil Industry
As President Obama smugly twiddles his thumbs and decides when he’ll put Keystone out of its misery, sides are being taken, mostly along political lines, in the real debate that will decide the fate of the domestic oil industry: ending the outdated 1975 ban on crude oil exports. Obama, of course, sees no need to lift the ban, though he says he might reconsider IF the oil industry gives up its tax breaks. As one expected, Hillary Clinton, presumptive Democratic nominee for president, also opposes ending the ban.
Ozark Pipeline Upgrade Planned Beneath Mississippi River
Canadian company Enbridge will make $17.3 million in improvements to its Ozark Pipeline along a 4,000-foot segment that runs beneath the Mississippi River into north St. Louis. The work is scheduled for completion in 2016. Crews will bore under the river, welding 22-inch steel pipe together on the Missouri side, before pulling it through a new tunnel. The 435-mile Ozark Pipeline carries up to 215,000 bpd of oil from Oklahoma through Missouri, en route to the Wood River, IL refinery, Enbridge said.
Anadarko Withdraws Rejected Apache Takeover Bid
Anadarko Petroleum Corporation today announced it withdrew its offer to buy rival oil company Apache in what would have been the biggest takeover of a U.S. crude producer this year. The proposed all-stock transaction, which included a modest premium, was based on public information and Apache's historic financial and operating under-performance, according to Anadarko President and CEO Al Walker. The transaction offered shareholders of both companies numerous value-creation opportunities.
Enable Holding Binding Open Season for Cana and STACK Expansion
OKLAHOMA CITY – Enable Gas Transmission will conduct a binding open season seeking commitments for its Cana and STACK Expansion (CaSE). Together with existing EGT system capacity and EGT capacity on third-party pipelines, the CaSE project will provide residue takeaway solutions for growing production from the Cana Woodford play, as well as the Sooner Trend, Anadarko, Canadian and Kingfisher “STACK” region.
Appalachian Midstream Operators Face Myriad of Challenges
This has been a busy year of new challenges and issues facing the Appalachian oil and gas industry as rig count in the Appalachian Basin and elsewhere is down substantially compared to the previous two years. A significant challenge ahead for shale developers in a lower price environment is to continue to be active in finding land, drilling wells and getting the natural resource to market. This article concerns our most recent report, published in May, on the issues and challenges facing midstream operators in the Appalachian Basin.
Oil Prices Forecast to Stay Low Until 2020
PARIS (AP) — Oil prices are likely to remain low over the next five years because of plentiful supply and falling demand in developed countries, the International Energy Agency said Tuesday in its annual forecast. The Paris-based body, which advises developed countries on energy policy, says it expects oil prices to return to $80 per barrel in 2020, with further increases after that. Oil prices are down more than 50% since the middle of last year. On Tuesday, the U.S. crude oil contract was trading at $43.95 a barrel.
Turkmenistan, Afghanistan To Lay 1,140-Mile Pipeline
ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan (AP) — Turkmenistan and Afghanistan have agreed to jointly launch the construction of a multi-billion dollar pipeline that will pump natural gas from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, Turkmen state media reported Tuesday. Turkmenistan is believed to have the world's fourth-largest gas reserves, but currently exports almost all of it to China. Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov on Monday discussed the new pipeline in a phone call with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who hailed it as "extremely important for the entire region."
- 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. 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
- Another Major U.S. Oil Refinery Shutting Down as Lyondell Confirms Houston Closure
- Chevron CEO Wirth Under Fire as Hess Deal Delay Drags Down Stock Performance
