Utilities
Casualties in Fight over New Gas Pipelines: The Customers
Chris Miles and his partners were ready to open their new seaside barbecue joint when they got stunning news: There would be no gas to fuel the fryers, griddles and stoves. Utility National Grid halted new gas hookups after the state rejected a new pipeline.
Virginia Regulators Say Dominion Profits Too High
Virginia's largest electric utility earned $277 million more in profits last year than what regulators say is reasonable and its customers could see huge bill increases in coming years, state regulators said in a new report.
Brazil's LNG-to-Power Complex Funded; Phase 2 Underway
The Natural Gas Acu joint venture between Prumo Logistica, BP and Siemens has gained regulatory approval for LNG imports and satisfied lender conditions for $750 million in project financing to complete the 1.3 GW Phase 1 of its LNG-to-Power complex at the Port of Acu.
Study Shows Natural Gas Crucial to Emission Reduction Goals
A study commissioned by Pacific Northwest-based distribution company NW Natural shows natural gas plays a pivotal role in helping the region safely meet emission reduction goals more affordably.
Mexico Power Utility Seeking $899 Million in Pipeline Dispute
Mexico's national power company CFE on Tuesday said it is seeking $899 million in a dispute with natural gas pipeline firms, adding that talks with Canada's TC Energy Corp and businessman Carlos Slim's Grupo Carso would start within days.
NW Natural Completes North Mist Expansion Project
NW Natural has completed its North Mist Expansion Project and begun providing no-notice storage to Portland General Electric’s Port Westward plants to balance renewable power on the grid.
National Grid Halts New Gas Service Until Williams Pipeline Approved
National Grid said it will not process new applications for natural gas service in its New York City and Long Island service areas until Williams' Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) pipeline receives the permits it needs to proceed.
Abriox
Software and hardware systems can be costly to install on a broad scale, but Osprey, designed and built by Abriox, is helping utilities supplement surveillance at multiple locations by monitoring, gathering and processing real-time data, economically. Osprey allows users to see daily compilations of..
AGA Kicks off Operations Conference, Exhibition in Nashville
The 2019 AGA Operations Conference kicked off in Nashville on Monday with the presentation of Awards of Merit to its members who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and service.
Police: 1 Dead, 15 Injured in North Carolina Gas Explosion
A gas explosion that partially collapsed a North Carolina building and set it ablaze Wednesday morning killed one person and injured more than a dozen others, police said.
Mass. Budgets Statewide Review of Natural Gas Systems
Gov. Charlie Baker has signed a spending bill that funds a statewide examination of Massachusetts’ natural gas distribution system. The review was ordered after the Sept. 13 gas explosions that killed one person, injured 25 others and damaged or destroyed dozens of buildings in the Merrimack Valley.
Con Edison Halts Gas Hookups, Citing Interstate Pipeline Constraints
Consolidated Edison Inc said it will impose a moratorium on new natural gas service in parts of New York's Westchester County to protect system reliability due to limited space on interstate pipelines to the region.
San Francisco Gas Explosion Shoots Fire that Burns Buildings
A gas explosion in a San Francisco neighborhood shot flames into the air for hours Wednesday and burned five buildings, sending panicked residents and workers fleeing into the streets. It took utility crews more than two hours to put out the fire after private construction workers cut a natural gas line, igniting the towering flames.
Global News
Eni’s Indonesia Gas Project may Start Up in 2021 Indonesia’s deputy energy minister said Eni aims to start output of natural gas in 2021 from its offshore Merakes project, which includes construction of subsea systems and pipelines to transport production to a floating production unit (FPU) appro..
Remote, Real-Time Monitoring Prevents Potential Problems
With utilities adding more and more residential and commercial endpoints to their distribution systems, the need to prevent and detect leaks has never been more challenging – or more critical. Thankfully, advanced technologies have emerged that allow utilities to harness new capabilities such as data analytics and remote monitoring to stay on top of leaks and address them before they create significant safety issues.
PG&E Didn't Cause 2017 Wildfire, but Bankruptcy Still Looms
In a long-awaited report, state investigators say a 2017 wildfire that killed 22 people in Northern California was caused by a private electrical system, not equipment belonging to embattled PG&E.
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.
Pakistan Fires Gas Utility Chiefs over Winter Energy Crisis
Pakistan's Prime Minister fired the heads of Sui Natural Gas Pipeline and Sui Southern Gas Company over a severe winter energy crisis that has seen repeated supply outages.
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.
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..
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.
Replacement Projects Still Boosting Infrastructure Work
A large volume of work remains in the United States for multibillion-dollar infrastructure replacement programs, with many now underway and more destined to follow. In this summary report, P&GJ provides an overview of the current widespread activity.
APGA Chairman to Focus on Safety and Consumer Education
P&GJ talks about industry priorities and challenges with Owen Reeves, 2018-2019 chairman of the American Public Gas Association (APGA), which represents more than 70% of all publicly owned natural gas utilities in the United States.
Gas Service Mostly Restored after September Explosions
Columbia Gas said natural gas service has been restored for 96 percent of customers who were affected by the September explosions in Massachusetts
Pair of Key Canada-to-US Oil Pipelines Hit by Disruptions
Two major pipelines carrying oil from Canada to the United States were hit by weather-related disruptions on Tuesday, the latest hit to Canada's oil industry just days after the Alberta government announced forced cuts in crude production.
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.
Nearly 36 Miles of Pipeline Replaced after Mass. Gas Explosions
NiSource subsidiary Columbia Gas said it has replaced nearly 36 miles of main pipeline in the area of last month's explosions and fires near Boston.
- 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. Appeals Court Blocks Kinder Morgan’s Tennessee Pipeline Permits
- Malaysia’s Oil Exports to China Surge Amid Broader Import Decline
- 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
