December 2020, Vol. 247, No. 12

The prospect of a new U.S. president has caused a fair amount of hand-wringing and gnashing of teeth among those in midstream and other energy sectors, but there is reason to believe the fallout caused by a new administration will not be all that severe.

While there is plenty of optimism for hydrogen in these carbon-conscious days, reality also indicates that a lot more R&D is in order to tighten up the technical side and improve the economics.

In this interview, APGA Chairman John Leary discusses the association's priorities for the coming year, helping members who are coping with the coronavirus and engaging the public concerning natural gas and other topics.

Despite taking the reins of PPI at the outset of a global pandemic, Fink sees a bright future for the plastics pipe industry and a growing role for its products across an expanding range of underground applications.

When people think about infrastructure, they often think about roads and bridges. But civil engineers estimate 60% of infrastructure repair costs consist of underground piping. We rely on this critical “hidden” infrastructure, and we expect it to work every time.

In this year-ending issue of P&GJ, we take a look back at the long, difficult year that was 2020.

Promigas has undertaken construction of the 250-MMcf/d Paiva-Caracolí gas pipeline along the Caribbean coast of Colombia, which was 92% complete in August.

For any products intended for offshore use, not only do they need to comply with standards, but they also need to have material properties suitable for the specific risks of the offshore environment.

The crucial importance of pipelines in distributing vital but volatile ingredients safely is recognized and covered by regulations that require pipeline operators to ensure the integrity of their pipelines. This is done by conducting both preventative and regular routine maintenance and repairs to ensure optimum performance and to prevent potential systems failures.

Con Edison is installing 376,000 smart-technology natural gas detectors for customers in New York City and Westchester County, New York, providing an unprecedented level of protection against potentially dangerous leaks.

The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) has approved an extensive independent study that found the Peoples Gas program to replace aging natural gas pipes will increase public and customer safety.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, both part of the Department of the Interior, published a proposed rule to revise and streamline certain financial requirements for oil, gas and sulfur operations on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf.

Local gas distribution companies (LDC) continuously pursue efforts to improve efficiencies and the thoroughness of inspections and leak surveys. Recognizing the emerging capabilities of small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS), or drones, LDCs became interested in developing possible applications for sUAS stable aerial platforms with sensors for inspections and surveys.

Greater exports of propane and other hydrocarbon gas liquids (HGLs) more than offset declines in U.S. exports of transportation fuels such as gasoline, distillate fuel oil and jet fuel.

Kenya’s oil and gas pipeline market has been characterized by frequent leaks, delayed starts on approved projects and talk of converting existing lines into use for other purposes.

Neptune Energy began installation of the world’s longest heated subsea production pipeline in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. Once completed, the 23-mile (36-km) electrically trace-heated (ETH) pipe-in-pipe solution will transport oil from the Neptune Energy-operated Fenja field to the Njord A platform, operated by Equinor.

Through ongoing operations and construction in 2019, the Texas oil and gas pipeline industry provided more than $48.6 billion in economic impact, supported more than 238,000 jobs and contributed an additional $29.3 billion in gross state product, a study shows.

The U.S. Department of Energy will provide $33 million for 10 projects established to develop natural gas pipeline rehabilitation technology.

With oil prices now in shambles, the industry is faced with a dilemma in regard to energy transition plans: Can companies afford to pay for a commitment to significantly boost investment in renewables when their profits are set to tumble now that oil has fallen to $40?

After nearly 10 years of trying, gas transmission pipelines have finally won a partial victory to convince the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to ease the class location system for pipe replacement.

Transmission pipelines received something of an endorsement from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in a study that found “Reports of serious interruptions of service that interstate transmission pipeline operators submitted to FERC from 2015 to 2019 show that unplanned service interruptions were generally infrequent and limited in scope.”

Siemens Energy announced that it has partnered with Houston-based ProFlex Technologies to provide spontaneous leak detection services for pipeline operators.

ControlAir, Koike, Esco Tool, Vermeer, Dresser and Transneft have updates about products and services.