Infrastructure

Sudden Decompression: When the Pressure Gets Released

(P&GJ) — While many integrity management techniques attempt to detect flaws in the early stages, the potential always exists for a defect to initiate a running fracture along the length of a pipe. Cracks can be initiated by, for example, excavation damage, corrosion, or ground movements and may not provide any early warning.

Equitrans' 303-Mile Mountain Valley Pipeline on Track to Be Completed by Year-End 2023

U.S. energy company Equitrans Midstream on Tuesday said it still expects to complete the Mountain Valley natural gas pipeline by the end of the year despite being tangled in numerous court fights since construction began in 2018.

Tecnicas Reunidas, Ansaldo Energia to Develop RWE Hydrogen Plant in Germany

A consortium comprising Spain's Tecnicas Reunidas and Italy's Ansaldo Energia is set to develop a hydrogen-ready combined cycle power plant in Germany for utility RWE, the Spanish engineering firm said on Monday.

TC Energy Begins Re-Pressurizing Unaffected Pipeline Section in Virginia

Canada's TC Energy began re-pressurizing part of its Columbia Gas Transmission Pipeline in Strasburg, Virginia that was not directly impacted by an unplanned incident last week, the company said late on Friday.

ROSEN Conducts Research on Hydrogen Embrittlement

(P&GJ) — The ROSEN Group, together with National Gas (formerly National Grid Gas Transmission), has started researching ways to mitigate the potential for embrittlement of pipeline steel in hydrogen service.

Venture Global LNG's Calcasieu Pass 2 Project Gets Final U.S. Environmental Nod

Venture Global LNG's proposed Calcasieu Pass 2 project in Louisiana has received FERC's environmental approval, clearing the way for a final vote by the commission on expanding the company's natural gas liquefaction facility.

TC Energy to Spin Off Oil Pipeline Business, Focus on Natural Gas

North American pipeline company TC Energy, which has been seeking to sell assets and cut debt, said on Thursday it would spin off its oil pipeline business and focus on transporting natural gas, saying the businesses would be more valuable apart.

Germany's Updated Hydrogen Strategy Sees Heavy Reliance on Imported Fuel in Future

The German cabinet approved a new hydrogen strategy, setting guidelines for hydrogen production, transport infrastructure and market plans.

Wintershall Dea CEO Says Exiting Russia Gets Harder by the Day

Mario Mehren, CEO of Wintershall Dea, stated that the company's exit from Russia, announced in January, is challenging due to deep ties, including a stake in the Nord Stream gas pipeline shipping gas directly from Russia to Germany.

Mitsubishi Power Delivers Hydrogen-Ready Gas Turbines to Utah Project

(P&GJ) — Mitsubishi Power Americas has delivered two M501JAC advanced-class gas turbines to the Intermountain Power Project (IPP) Renewed project in Delta, Utah. A pipeline from the ACES Delta hub will feed the IPP Renewed project with hydrogen to operate the J-Class turbines.

Supreme Court Approves Completion of 303-Mile Mountain Valley Gas Pipeline

The justices granted Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC's request to lift stays imposed by a lower court that had halted construction of a final short section of the 303-mile (488-km) natural gas pipeline. That section is a 3.5-mile (5.6-km) corridor through the federally owned Jefferson National Forest.

354-Mile Vaca Muerta Pipeline Needs Investment to Deliver Argentina's Gas Dreams, Experts Say

Argentina could export the same amount of gas it consumes — about 2 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) — annually, but that would require investments of $40 billion, Javier Iguacel, Argentina's former energy minister, said.

EQT in Deal with Energy Transfer Louisiana Lake Charles LNG Export Plant

EQT, the biggest U.S. natural gas producer, entered into an LNG agreement with U.S. energy firm Energy Transfer's proposed Lake Charles LNG export plant in Louisiana.

SLB and Eni Form Partnership for New Pipeline Monitoring Technology

(P&GJ) — The alliance covers the deployment of e-vpms technology for pipelines transporting liquid hydrocarbons and produced water and enables the detection of product loss attributable to external events such as attempted product theft or accidental impact, corrosion related leak events, and land movement events caused by earthquakes or landslides.

Spain's Enagas to Gauge Hydrogen Appetite as It Seeks EU Subsidies

Spanish natural gas grid operator Enagas is to start gathering data on hydrogen supply and demand as it moves forward with plans for national and international hydrogen pipelines it expects will get significant European Union subsidies.

Voyager Midstream Secures Equity Commitment from Pearl Energy Investments

(P&GJ) — Texas-based Voyager Midstream Holdings has secured an initial capital commitment from Pearl Energy Investments to pursue the acquisition and development of crude oil, natural gas, and produced water infrastructure across key North American supply basins.

Black Bear's AlaTenn Pipeline Commences Gas Deliveries to New Power Plant Units

(P&GJ) — Black Bear's AlaTenn pipeline system has started delivering natural gas supply for the commissioning of three new natural gas-fueled power plant units in Alabama’s Colbert County.

TC Energy's Columbia Gas Pipeline Explodes Near Virginia's Interstate 81

(P&GJ) — A gas line explosion occurred near Strasburg, Virginia, in rural western Virginia, not far from Interstate 81. The incident took place on Tuesday morning and was promptly responded to by local officials, according to The Associated Press.

Changing Ownership Structure of Africa’s Pipeline Companies

(P&GJ) – Recent buying and selling of upstream oil and gas assets in Africa has opened new growth opportunities for the region’s pipeline market as new players make entry into the management and ownership structure of existing pipeline operating companies.

Developments in Custody Transfer Metering of Natural Gas

(P&GJ) — Natural gas has become an even more important energy source as the world looks to transition away from coal-fired power plants. Natural gas emits about half of the carbon emissions as coal, so it has many countries looking to adopt it as a larger part of their energy infrastructure.

Pipeline Operator Magellan Confident Sale to ONEOK Will Gain Sufficient Investor Backing

Magellan Midstream Partners CEO Aaron Milford said he is confident the pipeline operator's planned sale to larger peer ONEOK Inc. for $18.8 billion will gain approval from its investors despite some opposition.

TC Energy Sells 40% Stake in Columbia Gas Transmission Pipelines to GIP for $4 Billion

Canada's TC Energy has agreed to divest a 40% interest in its Columbia Gas Transmission and Columbia Gulf Transmission pipelines, which span more than 15,000 miles and deliver a substantial portion of daily U.S. natural gas demand, for $3.95 billion to Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP).

Managing Lost and Unaccounted for Gas Volumes

(P&GJ) — Lost and unaccounted for (LAUF) gas is a calculated value that compares the amount of gas coming into a system (purchased) to the amount of gas leaving that system (sold or otherwise accounted for). Although LAUF is often equated to leaking pipes and equipment, leaks generally only represent a small portion of the value.

Importance of Moisture Analysis in Pipeline Transportation

(P&GJ) — Nearly every substance is affected by moisture, which can alter physical, chemical and electrical properties. When transporting hydrocarbons such as natural gas, the presence of moisture in the pressurized stream can create serious problems.

Natural Gas Pipeline at Risk as Wildfire Sweeps Through Washington County

The Newell Road Wildfire has already destroyed several structures in the area and is threatening homes, farms, crops and livestock, solar and wind farms and a natural gas pipeline, county emergency officials said.

Natural Gas Connection Failure Investigated in Fatal Pennsylvania Factory Explosion

(P&GJ) — Federal safety inspectors confirmed Tuesday that natural gas seeped through a faulty connection at a Pennsylvania chocolate factory where a strong explosion destroyed one building, severely damaged another, and killed seven people

Cheniere Energy's Sabine Pass LNG Plant Returns to Normal

Cheniere Energy Inc.'s Sabine Pass LNG export facility returned to normal processing levels on Thursday following an outage at one of its units on Tuesday, Reuters reported.

Wary of 2022 Crisis, Asian Buyers to Build Strategic Gas Reserves

Governments across Asia are formulating strategic natural gas reserve policies, building new terminals and storage tanks as buffers against supply disruptions following last year's energy crisis that sent global prices soaring to a record high.

Vietnam Approves $11.4 Billion Plan to Expand Fuel Storage Capacity by 2030

The investment would raise the country's crude oil and refined fuel storage capacity to 75 to 80 days of net imports, according to the plan signed by Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha on Tuesday.

Why Flowmeter Calibration Sometimes Lacks Accuracy

(P&GJ) — The oil and gas industry appears to be favoring a move toward using “newer” and more “advanced” flow measurement technologies, such as ultrasonic and Coriolis devices as an alternative to turbine and positive displacement meters.