February 2017, Vol. 244, No. 2
Company & Association News
Association News Rob Beamish is the new executive director of the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association (CEPA), replacing Kim McCaig who has retired. Beamish’s energy ties include two stints with TransCanada, including director, Supply Chain Series, and program manager, Control Centre Development fo..
Editor's Notebook
Getting older we tend to wander to the obituary page to see who passed away that we have known. As time moves forward, there is a greater chance of making that sad connection. It happened last month when I read of the Jan. 12 death of Glenn H. McCarthy Jr., son of the legendary wildcatter/hotelier a..
Features
More than ever, the oil and gas industry is recognizing the importance of cybersecurity. In fact, cyber-threats have joined HSE and terrorism as a top concern for most oil and gas executives. This greater acknowledgment of the importance of cybersecurity is largely driven by prominent, and costly, c..
The founders of Arnett & Burgess Pipelines (A&B), Les Arnett and Ray Burgess, met while building some of the first oil infrastructure in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin for Flint Energy. This came after Flint came to Canada to work with Shell after it discovered oil in Leduc in 1947. Arnett,..
Pipeline inspections can be improved through the use of automated pigging systems.
Data everywhere is a key driver that is compelling oil and gas companies to build platforms for managing meaningful data and applying various types of analytics to optimize operational activities and efficiencies. IDC Energy Insights recently published IDC FutureScape Worldwide Oil and Gas 2017 Pred..
On Jan. 5, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) published its Annual Energy Outlook for 2017, one of the most closely watched long-term forecasts for the petroleum, gas, coal and renewables markets. Among this year’s key predictions, EIA believes that American petroleum consumption will..
Tripwire, Inc., a Portland, OR-based global provider of security and compliance solutions for enterprises and industrial organizations, recently announced the results of an extensive study conducted for Tripwire by Dimensional Research. The study evaluated the confidence of information technology (I..
ExxonMobil has developed cMISTTM technology, which dehydrates natural gas using a patented absorption system inside pipes and replaces the need for conventional dehydration tower technology. This inline technology could be deployed at both land-based and offshore natural gas production operations, a..
“Think globally, act locally” is a phrase often associated with environmental stewardship. It could also serve as a prescription of sorts for broadening natural gas’ role in generating the world’s electricity. “We have not fully tapped the potential of this abundant resource,” said Dave McCurdy, pr..
The United States has an extensive network of hazardous liquid and natural gas transmission and distribution pipelines. While there have been no reports of pipeline attacks on domestic soil, they have occurred in other nations. In 2008, a section of Turkey’s Baku-Tbilisi-Ceylan (BTC) pipeline was th..
Capacity on pipeline construction projects in the northeastern U.S. increased for the first time in six years.
The northeastern U.S. would benefit from more pipeline construction projects, report says.
Digitalization is taking businesses into a new era, and the oil and gas industry is by no means an exception. With the focus on cost-cutting, increased efficiencies and improved sustainability, the oil and gas industry is increasingly embracing digital technologies to meet these challenges. By buil..
Utilities across the world are installing smart gas and electric meters, bringing an end to labor-intensive periodic meter readings at homes and businesses and inaugurating real-time, accurate monitoring of the amount and pattern of energy use. The introduction of internet of things (IoT) provides t..
Gas chromatographs (GC) play a critical role in custody-transfer operations and their accuracy literally impacts – may even determine – a company’s bottom line. Verifying accuracy is an essential function that ensures the correct operation of the analyzer at the time of testing, confirms that the GC..
General
Electrically driven gas compressors have several advantages over compressors driven by gas turbines: The drive torque can be varied much quicker; the variable speed drive (VSD) system can be operated with high efficiency in a much broader operation range; there are no local greenhouse gas emissions...
Schneider Electric gathered several of its most knowledgeable experts on supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) to provide P&GJ readers with the latest information on the challenges of cybersecurity and trends in SCADA management, as well as discussing whether there is a demand to bring mo..
Government
The compliance start date for the new federal safety requirement on underground gas storage facilities doesn’t go into effect for one year, but arrival of the Trump administration could extend that deadline. That is the hope of groups such as the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA)..
In The News
DCP Midstream Partners to buy assets of Philips-Spectra joint venture DCP Midstream Partners LP has acquired the assets of a joint venture between Phillips 66 and Spectra Energy Corp to create the largest natural gas liquids (NGL) producer and gas processor in the United States. The combined compan..
Pipeline Gas, LNG Will Compete for European Demand Europe is set to retain numerous gas supply options throughout 2017 as traditional pipeline suppliers continue their market-share offensive and LNG imports rally from their unexpected lows in 2016. With European demand – especially in the power sec..
Projects
Q&A
Naomi Schaefer Riley recently wrote a piece concerning the standoff involving Native American protesters and their allies opposed to the North Dakota Access Pipeline being constructed by Energy Transfer Partners titled “Bury Their Future at Standing Rock, The Truth about the Shutdown of the Dakota P..
TechNotes
A study by ReportBuyer.com projects U.S. demand for equipment used in midstream oil and gas applications will decline to $10.5 billion for the next two years. The study suggests that low oil and gas prices limiting production growth and U.S. midstream infrastructure becoming better adapted to the re..
What's New
An overview of new equipment that can be used on pipeline construction projects, as featured in our February 2017 issue.
- Texas Waha Hub Gas Prices Plunge to Record Lows, Hit Negative Territory
- U.S. Appeals Court Strikes Down Controversial Biden Pipeline Safety Rules
- Texas Oil Pipelines Near Max Capacity, Threatening Future Export Limits
- Williams Seeks Emergency Certificate to Operate $1 Billion Mid-Atlantic Gas Pipeline After Court Reversal
- U.S. Court Overturns FERC Approval for NextDecade’s $18 Billion Rio Grande LNG Project
- Saudi Arabia Looking to Expand Pipeline to Reduce Oil Exports via Gulf
- Report: Houston Region Poised to Become a Global Clean Hydrogen Hub
- Texas Startup Endeavors Again to Build First Major U.S. Oil Refinery Since 1977
- Puerto Bahia, Gasco to Build Liquefied Petroleum Gas Facility in Cartagena, Colombia
- Sempra's Costa Azul LNG Project Delayed by Labor Issues