June 2020, Vol. 247, No. 6

To quote the frequently quotable Kelcy Warren during a recent network TV interview, “Every day storage is not filled is a day saved for the producer.”

On Easter Sunday when all of America’s churches were silent, President Trump, who earlier had wished they could be filled with worshipers, was helping broker a final oil production agreement among nearly two dozen producing nations as a way of easing the global glut of crude at a time when the coronavirus (COVID-19) had eliminated millions of barrels of daily demand.

Today, estimates vary widely, but experts cite a range of between 30% to 60% of the world’s pipelines that remain unpiggable. Innovation is helping to close the gap.

Composite repairs are no longer new to the pipeline integrity world. A significant body of work has been developed over the last several decades characterizing their performance and developing guidelines for end-users.

Most issues or problems regarding a pipeline right-of-way (ROW) can be resolved by a thorough investigation of the original easement agreement. This document determines the terms and conditions of laying and maintaining a pipeline on a property. It is the base contract between the landowner (grantor) and the pipeline operator (grantee).

U.S. consumption of petroleum products has fallen to its lowest level in decades because of measures that limit travel and the general economic slowdown induced by mitigation efforts for coronavirus (COVID-19).

With the implementation of the Mega Rule, U.S. pipeline owners and operators will be required to provide traceable, verifiable and complete (TVC) records that confirm the physical and operational characteristics of the pipeline meet the new requirements.

The recent Kingfisher case provides guidelines that midstream companies should address when evaluating their existing contracts or entering into new ones.

To curb the amount of flaring in the Permian basin and to relieve congestion requires significantly more gas offtake pipeline capacity. Fortunately for both the environment and production companies, the Gulf Coast Express has just come online, and the Permian Highway Pipeline and the Whistler Pipeline are underway, possibly to be joined by the Permian Pass Pipeline in the future.

The World Bank will spend $250 million to improve the efficiency of Ukraine’s Gas Transmission System Operator (GTSO). One key goal of this ambitious project is “to strengthen its technical and institutional capacity.”

Pipeline construction in and around wetlands faces a major, new legal impediment given the significant decision by a federal district court in Montana in mid-April.

Flack is hitting the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) from all sides over its proposed rule to require automatic and remote shut-off valves on oil and gas pipelines.

Research company DNV GL issued an international call to oil and gas operators and the supply chain to pilot a methodology that will prove whether the data generated by digital twins can be trusted, and if the technology is delivering value.

A currently under construction 435-mile (700-km) pipeline from southern India to a key refinery has selected hundreds of Rotork actuators for the project, according to a company spokesman.

High-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe has been touted for its leak-free and long service life properties for decades. When gas and water service companies add new mains and service lines, these piping systems can remain entirely HDPE and leak-free with hot tap tools.

Entergy appointed Kathryn Collins as senior vice president and chief Human Resources officer.