Pipeline
Latest DOE Report Slams Canadas Oil Sands
Oil from Canada’s oil sands is about 20% more carbon-intensive on average than crude from elsewhere. That is the damming conclusion from a forthcoming new study by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and its partners. The study looked at a wells-to-wheels analysis, which takes into account greenhouse gas emissions along the entire supply chain, from extraction to transit, refining, and finally combustion by the end user.
Argentina, China lead shale development outside North America in first-half 2015
As recently as last year, only four countries in the world were producing commercial volumes of either natural gas from shale formations (shale gas) or crude oil from tight formations (tight oil): the United States and Canada, and more recently, Argentina and China. Beyond these four countries, other countries have started exploring hydrocarbons from shale and other tight resources, but they are still short of reaching commercial production.
PA11 Pipe to Connect Landfill Gas to Local Distributor
Arkema Inc., Georg Fischer Central Plastics LLC, and BioResource Development LLC (BRD) have partnered on a project to install a polyamide 11 (PA11) piping system to connect landfill gas to the local gas distribution system near Omaha, NE.
PHMSA: Pipeline Operator Couldn't Reach Staff at California Spill Site
LOS ANGELES (AP) — As thousands of gallons of crude oil from a ruptured pipeline spread along the California coast, its operator was unable to contact workers near the break to get information required to alert federal emergency officials, records released Wednesday said. Personnel for Plains All American Pipeline needed the precise location of the May 19 spill and an estimate of its size before notifying the National Response Center, a clearinghouse for reports of hazardous-material releases, according to federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration documents.
ExxonMobil Halts 3 Oil Platforms Due to Santa Barbara Pipeline Spill
LOS ANGELES (AP) — ExxonMobil has been forced to halt operations at three offshore oil platforms because it couldn't deliver to refineries in the wake of a broken pipeline that spilled up to 101,000 gallons of crude on the Santa Barbara coast, the company said. Operations temporarily ceased last week because Santa Barbara County rejected its emergency application to truck oil to refineries, spokesman Richard Keil said Tuesday.
Mexico Plans Underwater Gas Pipeline to Texas
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Mexican government has announced plans for nearly $10 billion worth of electricity and natural gas infrastructure projects, including a gas pipeline under the Gulf of Mexico from Texas to the port of Veracruz. The Federal Electricity Commission said Monday the costliest project would be the 500-mile underwater pipeline for carrying natural gas from South Texas. The pipeline is intended to go into operation in June 2018.
CorEnergy to Acquire Grand Isle Gathering System for $245 Million
CorEnergy Infrastructure Trust will acquire the Grand Isle Gathering System (GIGS), a subsea, midstream pipeline system with related onshore facilities serving oil-producing fields in the shallow portion of the Gulf of Mexico. GIGS is comprised of 153 miles of undersea pipeline, connects to seven oil fields, including four of the top 15 largest fields in the Gulf of Mexico shelf region with customers including ExxonMobil and Shell. It transports about 18,000 bpd of oil and 42,000 bpd of water with a capacity of 120,000 bpd.
Kinder Morgan Units File for LNG Liquification Project
Gulf LNG Liquefaction Company (GLLC) and Gulf LNG Energy (GLE) on Monday collectively filed an application with FERC for construction and operation of a new liquefaction and export facilities at GLE’s existing regasification terminal, located in Jackson County, MS. Additionally, Gulf LNG Pipeline (GLP) notified FERC minor modifications will be made to the existing pipeline facilities that interconnect with the terminal under GLP’s blanket authorization from the FERC. The applicants requested that FERC grant approvals no later than June 17, 2016.
Indonesia Banking On Big Return to Oil, Gas
Indonesia, the most populous country in South East Asia, is trying hard to reshape its ailing energy industry as it seeks new investors in both its exploration and refining sectors to dramatically upgrade its energy capabilities. At a time when most new global investments in oil and gas projects have either been cancelled or postponed due to low oil prices, this latest move by Indonesia is a bold one. However, Indonesia’s poor infrastructure and difficult domestic regulatory environment have affected investment in the past, with only seven oil and gas contracts signed in 2014.
Every Company Needs a Tailored Solution
Service companies of every sort are scattered throughout the oil, gas and utilities industries. Mosaic is a Washington state-based business that moves its offerings one step further: by using its industry experience and analytical insight to develop strategy and consulting, training and technology services that are specifically designed for each customer.
India Now Worlds 3rd Largest Importer of Crude
The country’s oil imports have steadily climbed along with its growing economy. India has surpassed Japan in terms of oil imports multiple times over the past few years, and could trade spots again. But while they duel it out in the short-term, the outlook is clear. India’s import dependence is rising fast and it will be one of the largest sources of demand growth for the foreseeable future. The International Energy Agency predicts that India will burn through 4.1 MMbpd in the second quarter of this year, edging out Japan’s 3.8 MMbpd.
Gazprom, Shell Building New Gas Pipeline to Germany
Energy giants Gazprom and Shell, along with E.ON and OMV, signed a memorandum Thursday to construct a third technical line for a LNG plant on Sakhalin Island on Russia’s Pacific Coast. Under the agreement, the companies would build a new route under the Baltic Sea from Russia with a capacity of 55 billion cubic meters a year. No timeline on the project was announced.
Wood Group Secures KPOC Pipeline Contract
Wood Group Kenny will support the Kebabangan Petroleum Operating Company (KPOC) in pipeline engineering and flow assurance engineering studies for the Kamansu East (KME) field offshore Sabah, Malaysia. The work will include concept select studies and definition engineering on subsea heating options, thus preventing hydrates, for the 30 km gas pipeline that runs from the KME field in 750 meters of water to the company's new shelf edge Kebabangan platform. The pipeline heating technology could be the first application for deepwater gas development in Malaysia.
Photos of Ruptured West Coast Pipeline Offer Clues of Reason for Leak
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Photos of the pipeline that spilled oil on the Santa Barbara coast show extensive corrosion and provide clues about the cause of the rupture, experts said. Corrosion visible around the crack, coupled with wear documented inside the pipe, led Robert Bea, a civil engineering professor emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley, to believe the pipe burst during a pressure spike when the operator restarted pumps that had failed the morning of the May 19 spill.
Caspian Regions Newly Independent Nations Look for Higher Gas Profits
The Caspian region of Central Asia is one of the world’s most important oil and gas-producing regions. Until recently, Caspian gas traveled thousands of miles via largely Soviet-built pipelines to eastern Russia where a portion of it was re-exported to Europe at two and even three times the purchase price. Since 2010, however, newly built pipelines have carried natural gas east to China, which receives about 50% of Caspian gas exports, surpassing Russia and Europe’s share 26% and Iran and Turkey take of 24%.
Presidents Report Finds Energy Infrastructure Needs Major Investments
The need for major changes to the nation’s energy infrastructure is why President Obama initiated a quadrennial cycle of energy reviews to provide a multiyear roadmap for U.S. energy policy. The result is the recent release of the initial installment of the first-ever Quadrennial Energy Review 2015 (QER) prepared by the White House task force.
Evacuations, No Injuries After Pipeline Ruptures in Texas
CUERO, TX (AP) — Authorities say no one was injured after a natural gas pipeline ruptured in rural South Texas, sparking a massive fire that prompted the evacuation of nearby homes. DeWitt County Emergency Operations Center spokeswoman Peggy Fonseca says an Energy Transfer Partners pipeline ruptured near Lindenau at about 8 p.m. Sunday. Fonseca said early Monday that the gas had been rerouted and the fire was extinguished. She said seven homes were evacuated but that no one was injured. Residents were allowed to return Sunday night following safety inspections.
TransCanada Ready To Begin Work on B.C. Gas Pipeline
TransCanada made a positive final investment decisionfrom LNG for the proposed Pacific NorthWest (PNW) LNG liquefaction and export facility in the Port Edward district of British Colombia. “This development is a significant step forward,” said Russ Girling, TransCanada's president and chief executive officer. The move advances the company’s $46 billion capital growth plan, which includes more than $13 billion in proposed natural gas pipeline projects in support of the emerging LNG industry on the B.C. coast.
Crude by Rail Boosts West Coast Supply as Regional Production Falls
While U.S. crude oil production increased by nearly 3.2 MMbpd from 2010 to 2014, production in the West Coast region decreased by 100,000 bpd, continuing a long-term decline, EIA data showed. With no major crude oil pipelines connecting the West Coast to other parts of the country, refineries on the West Coast adjusted by increasing imports of foreign crude oil, reaching an average of 1.1 MMbpd over the past five years.
California Oil Spill Cleanup Cost Reaches $62 Million
GOLETA, CA — The cost of cleaning up the oil spill that fouled beaches last month on the California coast has reached $62 million so far, pipeline company Plains All American Pipeline said Wednesday. Costs are running at $3 million a day, and there is no timetable for when the cleanup will be complete, the company's on-scene coordinator, Patrick Hodgins, told The Associated Press. The Plains All American is responsible for footing the bill after a pipeline break near Santa Barbara forced the closure of two state beaches and prompted a fishing ban in the area.
Energy Transfer Partners Building 100 Miles of Rich Gas Pipeline
Energy Transfer Partners has entered into long-term gas gathering, processing, and fractionation agreements with EdgeMarc Energy. To facilitate these agreements, ETP has purchased 20 miles of high-pressure pipeline from EdgeMarc and will build a new cryogenic gas processing plant, a new fractionator and additional gas gathering pipelines.
Developing Engineering-Based Integrity Programs for Pipelines, Plants
Integrity assessment has always been a part of operations and maintenance activities. As plant piping and pipeline infrastructure has aged, industry first developed basic tools, and as their importance became apparent, these tools improved to meet those increasing needs.
Washington State to Review Shell Oil-By-Rail Project
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Washington state regulators say they'll work with Skagit County to conduct a full environmental review of a proposed oil-by-rail project at the Shell Puget Sound Refinery near Anacortes. Royal Dutch Shell wants to build a rail spur from existing railroad tracks to handle about 60,000 bpd, or about one mile-long train. The oil would be pumped from rail cars into storage tanks.
Crews Prepare to Recover Ruptured Pipeline in Arkansas River
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Workers are preparing to recover a natural gas pipeline that ruptured in the Arkansas River, forcing closure of a 2-mile section of the river near Little Rock. Spectra Energy Corp. said the recovery process could begin Tuesday once conditions are safe enough to put divers in the water. The company provides gas to CenterPoint Energy in the Little Rock area. The leak in a 24-inch-wide backup pipeline occurred May 31. A section of pipe traveled downstream and now lies along the north bank of the Arkansas River.
Gulfport Energy Increases Utica Shale Holdings
OKLAHOMA CITY – Gulfport Energy Corporation announced it will acquire additional acreage in the Utica Shale, associated assets and incremental firm transportation commitments from from Aubrey McClendon-backed American Energy for about $406 million. Among the properties involved: • Contiguous bolt-on acreage acquisitions totaling 35,325 net acres in Monroe, Belmont and Jefferson counties in Ohio • An 11-mile gas-gathering system that is operational in Monroe County to support near-term development
PGC Report Shows Record-High Resource Evaluation of US Natural Gas
The United States possesses a large and growing domestic abundance of natural gas. The biennial report,<em> Potential Supply of Natural Gas in the United States,</em> developed by the Potential Gas Committee (PGC), details the nation's total technically recoverable resource base of natural gas, which provides the foundation for stable prices, customer savings, energy security and more.
ShawCor Back at Work on South Stream Offshore Pipeline
ShawCor's Bredero Shaw pipe-coating division has been notified the work suspension on its contract with Europipe for the concrete weight coating of Line 1 of the South Stream Pipeline has been lifted. In December 2014, ShawCor announced suspension of the majority of work on its $100 million pipeline contracts with Europipe and with Marubeni Sumitomo Consortium and with Saipem SpA, a contract valued at about $30 million.
PG&E Completes Cast-Iron Replacement, Earns Safety Certifications
Since Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) finished replacing all 835 miles of cast-iron pipeline in its system ahead of its 2014 year-end goal, the company has turned its attention to further modernizing its infrastructure with the latest gas-safety technology and by building a skilled workforce. The decommissioning of cast-iron pipe, which began in 1985, covered enough distance to run from Seattle to San Francisco, and has been followed by implementation of one of the most comprehensive modernization programs in the nation.
Pipeline Firm Told California Oil Spill 'Extremely Unlikely'
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Texas company whose ruptured pipeline created the largest coastal oil spill in California in 25 years had assured the government that a break in the line while possible was "extremely unlikely" and state-of-the-art monitoring could quickly detect possible leaks and alert operators, documents show. Nearly 1,200 pages of records, filed with state regulators by Plains All American Pipeline, detail a range of defenses the company established to guard against crude oil spills and, at the same time, prepare for the worst should a spill occur.
Williams Cos. Have Caught the Growth Train and Dont Want to Get Off
When Michael Grande was cutting his teeth as an energy analyst at Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, he thought the Tulsa, OK-based Williams Cos. Inc. a takeover target as its credit ratings were languishing below investment grade. That was 2007, though. Today, Grande, now director of S&P’s utilities and infrastructure group, has a different take on the company after watching it closely the past eight years.
- Williams' $1 Billion Gas Pipeline Blocked by U.S. Appeals Court, Derailing Five-State Project
- Texas Waha Hub Gas Prices Plunge to Record Lows, Hit Negative Territory
- U.S. Buys Nearly 5 Million Barrels of Oil for Emergency Stockpile
- U.S. Appeals Court Strikes Down Controversial Biden Pipeline Safety Rules
- Texas Oil Pipelines Near Max Capacity, Threatening Future Export Limits
- Report: Houston Region Poised to Become a Global Clean Hydrogen Hub
- Exxon Mobil to Start Gas Reserve Seismic Surveys in Greece
- LaPorte, Texas, Issues Shelter in Place After Altivia Plant Leaks Toxic Gas
- Texas Startup Endeavors Again to Build First Major U.S. Oil Refinery Since 1977
- Mid-Year Global Forecast: Midstream Responding to Demand from LNG Projects
