Community & Environment

Minister: Britain to Announce New CCS Support Within Days

The British government will outline within days incentives for companies to bury their greenhouse gases deep underground, using a promising technology for reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide, a minister said on Thursday.

Oil, Gas Executives on Hydrogen: Forget the Rainbow, Just Make It Profitable

Hydrogen as a potential alternative to natural gas, coal or oil burned in heavy industry or shipping is seen as key to reducing emissions in sectors where electrification is impractical. Hydrogen is often described by color and many in the industry call it a "rainbow renewable," but the most important color is green — as in cash, executives at CERAWeek said.

US Carbon Pipeline Faces Setback as Residents Refuse to Cede Land Rights

Navigator CO2 Ventures’ proposed carbon pipeline project in the U.S. Midwest is struggling to secure a site to store millions of tons of greenhouse gas it hopes to collect from the region’s ethanol plants, as residents refuse to give up land rights over fears the underground reservoirs could leak, according to documents reviewed by Reuters.

US Regulator Orders Lower Pressure on Keystone Pipeline System After Spill

The U.S. pipeline regulator said on Tuesday it would require TC Energy to reduce operating pressure on more than 1,000 additional miles (1,609 km) of its Keystone pipeline that spilled about 13,000 barrels of oil in rural Kansas in December.

Ecopetrol: Colombia Oil Pipeline Attack Causes Environmental Damage

An attack on an oil pipeline near a refinery in the Colombian city of Barrancabermeja has led to environmental damage but caused no injuries, majority state-owned oil company Ecopetrol said.

ConocoPhillips’ Willow Oil, Gas Drilling Project in Alaska Sparks Green Opposition

Environmental and climate activists are rallying online against ConocoPhillips’ proposed Willow oil and gas drilling project in Alaska as the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden weighs whether to greenlight the controversial plan.

Biden Administration Works on 'Green' Natural Gas as US Vies for Top LNG Spot

The Biden administration is holding talks with global energy companies and foreign officials in an effort to set standards for certified natural gas, a form of the fuel that producers market as climate friendly.

Police: Blast at Shell's Nigeria Oil Pipeline Kills 12

An explosion on a Nigerian oil pipeline owned by Shell killed at least 12 people on Friday, authorities at the scene said, while members of the affected community in Emohua said they feared many more had died in the blast.

Nigeria Oil Pipeline Blast Kills At Least One in Niger Delta

A crude oil pipeline explosion killed at least one person and injured another on Friday, authorities on the scene said, while members of the affected community in Emohua said they feared many more had died in the blast.

French Court Dismisses Lawsuit Against TotalEnergies Over Uganda Pipeline Project

Under the case filed in 2019, six French and Ugandan activist groups had accused the company of not doing all it could to protect people and the environment from the Tilenga oil development and the $3.5 billion East African Crude Oil Pipeline.

Mexico's Pemex Increased Gas Flaring at Top Field, Despite Pledge to Stop

In January, an estimated 1.3 billion cubic feet of gas were burned from four flares at the Papan and Perdiz plants meant to process gas from Ixachi, satellite data shows, up from 1 billion cubic feet in November when the promise was made.

Pemex Deer Park, Texas Fire Broke Out in Crude Distillation Area

A Thursday night fire at Pemex’s 312,500 barrel-per-day Deer Park, Texas, refinery broke out in a crude distillation unit, said people familiar with plant operations. The sources did not know which of two Deer Park CDUs were hit by fire.

Say ‘Aloha’ to New Trend of Hydrogen Blending with Hawaii Gas

(P&GJ) — While most of the naphtha is converted to methane, some hydrogen is produced in the steam reformer process, resulting in hydrogen concentrations of up to 10% to 15%. As natural gas utilities around the world look to hydrogen as a potential solution to decarbonization, the decades of experience Hawaii Gas already has with a hydrogen blend provide an insightful study into the performance of equipment using hydrogen blends.

EPA: US 2022 Power Plant Emissions Fell on Switch from Coal to Gas

U.S. power plant emissions of pollutants that harm human health and warm the planet fell last year as the industry continued a switch from coal to natural gas, the Environmental Protection Agency said on Friday.

FERC’s Pipeline, LNG Project Evaluations Looking at EJ

(P&GJ) — The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is devoting an increasing amount of attention and staff resources to the evaluation of impacts of interstate natural gas pipeline and LNG terminal projects on environmental justice (EJ) communities (that is, communities with disproportionately large minority and low-income populations).

ESG & Innovation: API Looks at Species, Habitat Conservation

(P&GJ) — The American Petroleum Institute (API) published a first-edition document focused on species and habitat conservation for onshore natural gas and oil production facilities that will help boost the industry’s existing practices to enhance environmental performance.

Chesapeake Utilities to Develop Florida RNG Facility

(P&GJ) — FPU Renewables LLC, a subsidiary of Chesapeake Utilities Corp., will construct, own and operate a dairy manure renewable natural gas (RNG) facility, a press release announced on Feb. 21. The project represents a capital investment of $22 million, with the first injection of RNG projected to occur in 2024.

Tokyo Gas Cuts Shareholder Returns to Invest in Decarbonization

Japan's Tokyo Gas will cut shareholder returns from the next financial year and use freed up funds to invest in technology to slash its carbon emissions, the company said on Wednesday. The company will pay out 40% of profits from the current 50% from the next financial year, it said.

Tanzania Approves Construction of New 900-Mile Crude Pipeline

(P&GJ) — The construction of a crude oil pipeline for $3.5 billion has been approved by Tanzania's government. The 1,443-km (900-mile) pipeline will carry crude from sizable oilfields being built in Lake Albert in northwest Uganda to a Tanzanian port on the Indian Ocean for distribution to global markets.

Damaged Line Triggers Natural Gas Leak in College Station, Texas

(P&GJ) — At around 4:00 p.m. on Monday, the Texas Avenue and Richards Street neighborhood was the scene of a gas leak that the College Station Fire Department and College Station Police attempted to contain.

US Energy Regulator Approves Partial Restart of Freeport LNG

The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the partial restart of two liquefaction trains, two tanks, and one loop and dock each, a filing showed on Tuesday. Restart of a third train, along with a tank, a loop, and a dock, would require additional permission.

Nord Stream Blast Inquiries Ongoing, Say Denmark, Sweden, Germany at UN

Investigations by Denmark, Germany and Sweden into explosions on the Nord Stream gas pipelines have not yet concluded, the three countries told the U.N. Security Council in a letter on Tuesday ahead of a meeting called by Russia on the September incident.

EPA Sets Soot Pollution Rule, Kinder Morgan Warns of Hefty Costs

The U.S. environmental regulator said it sent the White House its final plan to slash interstate smog and soot pollution from the power sector. Pipeline operator Kinder Morgan warned the plan would cost an estimated $4.1 billion in upgrades and retrofits to about 950 engines along its pipelines, which carry about 40% of the natural gas consumed in the U.S.

Navigator to Submit Expanded Proposal for 1,300-Mile Carbon Pipeline Project

(P&GJ) — Navigator CO2 plans to resubmit an enhanced proposal to the Illinois Commerce Agency before the end of February, over six months after initially submitting an application to the commission for its multistate pipeline. The expanded proposal is set to include at least one new sequestration site and an additional lateral route.

U.S. Treasury to Open Advanced Energy Tax Credit Applications on May 31

The U.S. Treasury said on Monday it will open applications on May 31 for $4 billion worth of new tax credits for advanced energy manufacturing and decarbonization projects, with $1.6 billion of those required to be in communities hit by closures of coal mines or coal-fired power plants.

UGI, Archaea Energy Partner to Develop Renewable Natural Gas Project in Pennsylvania

(P&GJ) — UGI Energy Services LLC and Archaea Energy Inc., a subsidiary of bp, have entered into a joint venture, Aurum Renewables LLC, to develop a renewable natural gas (RNG) project at the Commonwealth Environmental Systems landfill in Hegins, Pennsylvania.

Turkey's Ceyhan Oil Terminal, Iraq's KRG Pipeline Halted After Earthquake

Turkish pipeline operator BOTAS said there was no damage on main pipelines which carry crude oil from Iraq and Azerbaijan to Turkey. An emergency meeting will take place on the issue, the Tribeca shipping agency said.

Italian Union Files Legal Complaint Against Snam's LNG Terminal Over Environmental Concerns

The Italian trade union USB filed a legal complaint against a plan by gas grid operator Snam to set up a new LNG terminal in the Tuscan port of Piombino, it said in a press release on Friday.

Carbon Pipeline Company Sues Iowa County Over Local Siting Ordinance

The developer of a Midwest carbon capture pipeline network has sued Shelby County in Iowa, saying its ordinance restricting the siting of hazardous pipelines is overruled by a federal pipeline safety law.

2,000-Mile Carbon Pipeline Project Sparks Battle Among North Dakota Landowners

(P&GJ) — Landowners from North Dakota gave testimony on Jan. 27 in favor of and against Summit Carbon Solutions' use of eminent domain to construct a 2,000-mile carbon pipeline network beneath hundreds of homes and farms in the Midwest.