North America

New Alternatives for Noise Reduction in Gas Pipelines

Natural gas pipeline pressure reduction applications pose significant design challenges for engineers. Since flow varies considerably through these stations, control valves are required to throttle over a wide range, with large pressure drops at times, which create the potential for high noise.

Optimizing Emergency Response Through Alarm Management

With the implementation of the PHMSA Control Room Management (CRM) Rule in 2012, pipeline operators and control room managers have become familiar with the fundamentals of alarm management.

PJM Asks Talen Energy to Delay Maryland Fossil Fuel Plant Retirements for Reliability

Talen Energy in October notified the grid operator of its intent to shut three oil-fired units and a natural gas combustion turbine unit at its H.A. Wagner facilities by June 2025.

Iran Seizes Oil Tanker Involved in U.S.-Iran Dispute in Gulf of Oman

Iran seized a tanker with Iraqi crude destined for Turkey on Thursday in retaliation for the confiscation last year of the same vessel and its oil by the U.S., Iranian state media reported, a move likely to stoke regional tensions.

TotalEnergies Denies Plans to Sell NextDecade Shares Amid Market Speculation

TotalEnergies has no plans to sell its shares in U.S. LNG company NextDecade, the French energy group said on Thursday after market speculation over a potential sale.

Venture Global LNG Explains to FERC Its Failure to Sell Commercial Cargoes

Venture Global LNG has told a U.S. regulator that it cannot meet contracts to provide LNG cargoes to several major customers because its export plant is not yet ready to meet three criteria in the contracts, according to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

Pipeline Giant Enbridge Targets Expanding Offshore Wind Investments in France, Steers Clear of Troubled U.S. Market

Canadian pipeline company Enbridge is keen on further offshore wind investments in France, but will avoid the United States, where cost and supply chain problems have contributed to offshore projects collapsing, a senior executive said.

Chesapeake Energy, Southwestern Energy Merge in $7.4 Billion Deal, Forming Top U.S. Natural Gas Producer

Chesapeake Energy agreed to buy smaller rival Southwestern Energy in an all-stock transaction valued at $7.4 billion, a deal that will make it the largest independent U.S. natural gas producer.

Enbridge and EDF Renewables Launch Fox Squirrel Solar Complex in Ohio

EDF Renewables North America and Enbridge Inc. have announced that Phase 1 of Fox Squirrel Solar, the largest solar complex in Ohio, is fully operational and delivering decarbonized electricity to the PJM grid.

Surging Freight Rates Close the Door on U.S. Crude Oil Shipments to Asia

The economic incentive to import oil from the U.S. Gulf Coast to Asia has closed as the cost of booking supertankers on the route has surged amid a jump in bookings for the vessels, traders said this week.

Fuel Theft Crisis Persists in Central Mexico as Nine Bodies Found Near Pipeline

(P&GJ) — Central Mexico authorities have discovered nine men's bodies in vehicles near a fuel pipeline. Although the circumstances surrounding the deaths are still being probed, officials said there are signs suggesting a possible connection to fuel theft.

Spotlight on Supply Chain: How Companies Can Avoid Uncertainty

Supply-chain uncertainty is a major headache for many sectors across the world. Minimizing supply-chain risks could help oil and gas firms better secure their labor and materials while cutting costs by up to 15%.

Oil, Gas Lobby Group Warns Against U.S. Slowing Down LNG Approvals

The head of the leading U.S. oil and gas lobby group, the American Petroleum Institute, said that if U.S. regulators slow down or stop approving liquefied natural gas exports, they will put allies at risk.

Galp to Join BP and Shell in Formal Complaint Against LNG Exporter Venture Global

Portugal oil and gas firm Galp has asked U.S. regulators to allow it to join BP and Shell's formal complaints against U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter Venture Global LNG, a filing showed on Tuesday.

Exxon Faces Hurdles in $2.5 Billion Exit from California Offshore

Exxon Mobil's write-down of about $2.5 billion of troubled California properties aims to end five decades of offshore oil production in the state, but a full exit from those assets could take some time.

EIA: U.S. Energy-Related CO2 Emissions to Remain Unchanged in 2024

U.S. energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are expected to remain unchanged in 2024, as increased natural gas and petroleum emissions offset decreased coal emissions, the Energy Information Administration said in a monthly report on Tuesday.

Trans Mountain Oil Pipeline Modification Request Heads to Friday Regulatory Hearing

The Canada Energy Regulator (CER) will conduct a hearing on Friday about Trans Mountain Corp.'s request for a change in construction to complete expansion of its oil pipeline from Alberta to British Columbia, according to a filing on Monday.

Kyushu Electric Considers Investment in U.S. Lake Charles LNG Project for Future Procurement Plans

Kyushu Electric Power is considering investing in the U.S. Lake Charles liquefied natural gas (LNG) project of Energy Transfer, among other projects, to secure a stable supply of the fuel, a company spokesperson said on Tuesday.

U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Exxon's Bid to Move Minnesota Climate Lawsuit to Federal Court

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a bid by major fossil fuel companies and an industry trade group to move a lawsuit filed by Minnesota accusing them of worsening climate change out of state court and into federal court, the energy industry's favored venue.

Constellation's Everett LNG Plant Receives Trinidad Delivery Despite Declining U.S. Gas Imports

U.S. energy group Constellation Energy's Everett LNG import plant in Massachusetts took delivery of LNG from Trinidad over the weekend.

Shell Signs 20-Year LNG Deal with Ksi Lisims LNG in Canada

Energy major Shell has entered into a deal to buy 2 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas per year from the Ksi Lisims LNG, partners in the Canadian project said on Monday.

Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Nears 95% Completion, Set to Triple Crude Oil Capacity

Work on Canada’s Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion project is reportedly over 95% complete. When it comes onstream, the expansion will nearly triple the pipeline’s current 300,000 barrels per day (b/d) capacity.

Southwestern, Chesapeake Energy Near $17 Billion Merger, Poised to Form U.S. Natural Gas Powerhouse

U.S. natural gas producer Chesapeake Energy and peer Southwestern Energy are nearing a merger that would create a nearly $17 billion company. The deal could come together as soon as next week, provided the talks do not fall apart.

Motiva Enterprises Initiates 45-Day Overhaul, Temporarily Shuts CDU, Coker at Largest U.S. Refinery

Motiva Enterprises is scheduled to shut the large crude distillation unit (CDU) and large coker at its 626,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) Port Arthur, Texas, refinery by Monday, people familiar with the company’s plans said on Friday.

Cedar LNG Taps Samsung, Black & Veatch for EPC Contract

The Haisla Nation and Pembina Pipeline Corp. have selected Samsung Heavy Industries and Black & Veatch to provide engineering, procurement and construction for the design, fabrication and delivery of the project's floating LNG production unit.

Mexico's Newest Olmeca Oil Refinery Projected to Process 243,000 bpd in 2024

Mexican state oil company Pemex's top executive estimated on Thursday that the firm's newest refinery will process 243,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude in 2024 during its first year of operations, before ramping up to near full capacity in 2025.

Biden Administration Slowly Puts Oil Back into the SPR Emergency Stash

The administration of President Joe Biden is slowly putting oil back into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, after selling a record amount from the emergency stockpile in 2022.

U.S. Natural Gas Producers Navigate Production Cuts and Demand Rebound in 2024

The longer natural gas prices stay lower in 2024 and drilling and related activity pulled back, the market could overshoot to both the downside and upside next year as it seeks to find an equilibrium, EQT's financial head Jeremy Knop said.

U.S. DOT Invests Nearly $15 Million to Improve Pipeline Safety

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is awarding $14.8 million in grants to fund projects and activities to improve pipeline safety.

Shell Backs BP in Fight Over Venture Global LNG Exports

Shell has joined BP in its battle against Venture Global LNG, accusing the LNG producer of denying it and other customers access to supplies while exporting more than $18 billion worth of the superchilled gas, according to a filing with U.S. regulators.