Operations

Europe's Biggest Gas Supplier Says All Clear from Pipeline Security Checks

Inspections of Norway's offshore gas pipelines after the Nord Stream blasts found nothing suspicious, an executive at energy major Equinor told Reuters, in the first official word on the security sweep.

U.S. State Department Warns China Could Hack Infrastructure, Including Pipelines

The U.S. State Department warned that China could launch cyber attacks against critical infrastructure, including oil and gas pipelines after researchers discovered a Chinese hacking group had been spying on such networks.

Illegal Pipeline Tap Injures 13 at Pemex Refinery in Mexico

A fire at a refinery controlled by Mexican state-run oil firm Pemex and an explosion caused by an illegal pipeline tap injured a total of 13 people, the company said in separate statements Wednesday.

Caliche Launches Open Season for Expansion Project, Firm Natural Gas Storage in Beaumont

(P&GJ) — Caliche Development Partners II has launched a non-binding open season to solicit natural gas firm storage service to support the development of two additional natural gas storage caverns at Golden Triangle Storage facility in Beaumont, TX.

Chevron, Exxon Seek State Backing for Australia Carbon Capture, Hydrogen Projects

Chevron Corp. and Exxon Mobil Corp., the two largest U.S. fossil fuel companies, are seeking Australia's backing for carbon capture and storage (CCS) and hydrogen projects as they look to increase investment in a bid to slash intensity of carbon emissions.

Fire Breaks Out During Repair of Siberian Gas Pipeline, One Dead

A fire broke out during repair works at the Yamburg-Yelets 1 gas pipeline in western Siberia and one person was killed, a unit of Russia's Gazprom said on Tuesday.

Value of Advanced Sensor Capabilities in Pipeline Management

(P&GJ) — For companies in the energy sector, optimizing systems and processes can bring as much growth as does innovating new products and services. Such optimization typically involves eliminating inefficient or unreliable steps in business systems and processes – a practice sometimes referred to as “getting the barnacles off the boat.”

ADNOC Launches $1 Million Decarbonization Technology Challenge

(P&GJ) — ADNOC has launched a global competition to find innovations that will reshape the global energy landscape. The competition was launched at UAE Climate Tech Forum in Abu Dhabi, where over 1,000 global policy makers, innovators, and industrial leaders met to drive technological solutions for decarbonization.

Pipeline Operator TC Energy Finishes Recovering Oil from Kansas Creek in Keystone Spill

TC Energy Corp. finished recovering oil from a rural Kansas creek where its Keystone Pipeline spilled 14,000 barrels of oil in December, the company said on Friday.

Using Resonance Technique to Test Pipeline Weld Fatigue

(P&GJ) — Steel catenary risers (SCRs) are a critical element within many offshore pipeline installations. The ability of these risers to withstand the installation and in-service loading is vital to the success of the projects in which they are used.

Shell Halts Production at Prelude Floating LNG Facility

Shell has suspended production at its Prelude floating LNG facility off Western Australia due to problems with its processes, a spokeswoman said on Friday, and is working through steps to restart production at the world's largest floating LNG platform.

Russia's Transneft Says Druzhba Pipeline 'Attacked' Near Ukraine Border

Russia's oil pipeline operator Transneft said on Wednesday that a filling point on the Europe-bound Druzhba pipeline in a Russian region bordering Ukraine had been attacked, the TASS news agency reported, citing the company.

DOE Selects Crescent Midstream-Supported Project to Advance Commercial-Scale CO2 Storage

(P&GJ) — The company plans to repurpose an existing 110-mile pipeline corridor it owns and operates, positioning Crescent to become one of the first full-service midstream solutions for CCS while also reducing the initiative’s carbon footprint.

Pembina Pipeline Activates Emergency Procedures After Fire, Floods Ravish Western Canada

Pembina Pipeline Corp., which operates oil-gathering pipelines in the region, said it has activated emergency response and incident management processes and is "evaluating any current or anticipated operational impacts".

US Pipeline Regulator Sets New Rules for Reducing Methane Leaks

The Transportation Department's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration issued a proposed notice of rulemaking, laying out measures to clamp down on methane leaks from the country's vast network gas infrastructure.

Plains All American’s Oil Pipeline Volumes Rise 16% From Permian Basin Growth

The pipeline and storage company is the latest company to benefit from oil production from the Permian Basin, spread across Texas and New Mexico, and said it does not see any material change in expectations to its Permian production estimates amid worries of a slowdown in growth.

Equinor’s Hammerfest LNG Plant Offline After Compressor Failure

The outage was caused by a technical problem with a heat exchanger that occurred during a restart of the plant following a one-day maintenance outage, an Equinor spokesperson said.

Poland to Boost Military Protection of Baltic Energy Infrastructure

The Polish government has approved draft legislation that would allow the military to sink an enemy ship targeting a key gas pipeline from Norway via the Baltic Sea following NATO's warning that Russia might sabotage undersea energy infrastructure.

As Oil Output Peaks, US Gulf of Mexico Makes Room for Carbon Capture

Some companies, including Exxon Mobil Corp., have been dumping assets in the Gulf, the nation's primary offshore source of oil, and are instead targeting capturing and storing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases underground.

Enterprise Products' Oil Pipeline Volumes Rise on Permian Basin Output Growth

Enterprise has remained bullish on oil production from the Permian basin, spread across Texas and New Mexico, and is looking to build a crude oil export terminal on the Gulf Coast to help push some of those barrels into the foreign market.

Mississippi Gas Pipeline Operator Lifts Contract Suspension After Repairs

Canadian energy pipeline operator TC Energy Corp. said on Saturday that unit completed repairs on a portion of its Columbia Gulf Transmission gas transmission line in Mississippi that was halted a day earlier.

Editor’s Notebook: Nord Stream Questions Grow Murkier

(P&GJ) — While the investigation into who deliberately blew up Nord Stream continues, the operator of the previously functional first line appears to be taking a serious look at how it will seal and empty the pipeline before more damage occurs.

Worksite Safety: Defining Fundamental Drivers of Learning On-Site Procedures

(P&GJ) — Quick! How many rescue breaths should you administer after providing chest compressions to an unresponsive, non-breathing accident victim during CPR?

Pipeline Operator Enbridge Acquires Gas Storage Facility in British Columbia for $295 Million

The storage facility, which is connected to all three major long-haul natural gas transportation lines in Western Canada including Enbridge's Westcoast Pipeline and Alliance Pipeline, has a working storage capacity of 77 Bcf, the company said.

TC Energy Declares Force Majeure on 3,300-Mile Columbia Gulf Pipeline After Fire in Mississippi

Canadian energy company TC Energy Corp. said on Friday that its Columbia Gulf Transmission unit declared a force majeure event at its Corinth natural gas compressor station in Mississippi due to a fire, which had been extinguished.

Shell's Zydeco Pipeline Shut on April 25 After Oil Leak

Shell Pipeline Co.'s Zydeco oil pipeline — which alleviates transportation bottlenecks of crude arriving in Houston from the Eagle Ford, Permian and Bakken regions — was shut on April 25 after a limited release of crude oil was detected in the Intracoastal Waterway.

Italy's Energy Dome Raises $44 Million to Focus on CO2 Storage in US

Energy Dome, an Italian startup focusing on CO2 energy storage solutions, said on Friday it had raised 40 million euros ($44 million) from investors to fund expansion in the U.S.

Pig Removal: Recovering an Obstruction in Pressurized 48-Inch Pipeline

(P&GJ) —Following the completion of an offshore pipeline isolation project, STATS were asked by the client if they could offer a solution to a problem of an obstruction in their 48-inch gas export pipeline. During routine launching of an inline inspection tool, a slipper tray was accidently carried into the pipeline and lodged in the first pipeline bend, above grade, about 39 meters from the launcher door.

Offshore Pipeline Design for CCUS

(P&GJ) — Design and construction of CO2 pipelines are similar to natural gas transmission pipelines. However, there are differences like: thermodynamic modeling, blow down modeling, specifying the maximum water content, pipeline fracture propagation control, use of elastomer materials and performing a quantitative risk assessment, mainly related to release modeling and defining the allowable exposure limits. These factors require special attention for CO2 pipelines, when compared with natural gas.

PHMSA Update: Leak Detection Rules Point to Value of Regulation Compliance Service

(P&GJ) — To be able to operate within their regions, the onus is on pipeline operators to abide by leak detection and incident response rules. Federal regulators like the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) regularly implement new standards as part of their renewed focus on leak detection for natural gas and hazardous liquid pipelines to ensure the people, public and environment are kept safe.