Storage
DOEs Gant: Shifting Energy Policy to Stewardship of Abundance
Although we are already 15 years deep into the 21st century and women working at the top rungs of professional life no longer turn heads, when it comes to the “hard” numbers-crunching parts in the global economy – science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) – women still get asked why they selected this way to earn a buck. This same question is occasionally put to Paula Gant, holder of a doctorate degree in economics and the deputy assistant secretary for oil and natural gas in the federal Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy.
House Committee Subpoenas Kerry for Keystone XL Documents
WASHINGTON (AP) — A House of Representatives panel has issued a subpoena to Secretary of State John Kerry for department documents, reports and letters related to the contentious push to build the $8 billion Keystone XL pipeline. Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee announced the subpoena on Wednesday. The pipeline would transport oil from Canada's tar sands to pipelines linked to refineries on the Gulf of Mexico.
Declining Rig Count in U.S. Tight Formations
The count for both horizontal and vertical rigs in U.S tight formations has declining drastically from October 2014. This article discuss the declining rig count in the seven major Energy Information Administration (EIA) U.S. oil and natural gas regions.
Summer Gas Prices in the Northeast: Why So Low? Why So Unpredictable?
As summer approaches, there are two things to know about natural gas prices in the New York/New England area. First, it is a difficult time to predict gas price movements in the Northeast. But in general, prices are down – and are likely to stay that way for this summer. It’s hard to predict prices because there are a lot of new and unpredictable supply-and-demand dynamics across the country that are particularly pronounced in the Northeast. For instance, the explosion of shale gas production in the Marcellus and Utica shale regions.
Tall Oak Midstream Expands Service in Oklahomas STACK Play
Tall Oak Midstream, LLC is constructing an oil gathering, storage and transportation system to serve producers in Oklahoma’s Sooner Trend (STACK) play. Tall Oak is already gathering and processing natural gas on its STACK system for multiple customers. Anchored by a long-term agreement with Felix Energy, LLC, the system will connect to multiple downstream pipelines that provide direct access to the market center at Cushing, OK. Tall Oak expects to bring the system into service later this year.
EIA: Annual Energy Outlook Through 2040
The latest Annual Energy Outlook 2015 (AEO2015) prepared by the federal Energy Information Administration (EIA) presents long-term annual projections of energy supply, demand and prices through 2040. This analysis focuses on six scenarios: a reference case, low and high economic growth cases, low and high oil price cases, and the high oil and gas resource case.
Canadas Carbon Emissions Rules Spark Hope for Keystone
TransCanada Corp. has written to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arguing that new Canadian rules on emissions should persuade him to approve the construction of the much-delayed Keystone XL pipeline. The proposed $6.4 billion project would carry an estimated 830,000 bpd of Canadian crude oil per from Hardisty, Alberta, to Steele City, NE, then link up with Keystone’s existing line, which would take the oil on the final leg to the Texas coast of the Gulf of Mexico.
In The News: EPA Says Fracking Not Widespread Problem in Drinking Water
The federal Environmental Protection Agency on June 4 released a much-anticipated study of whether hydraulic fracturing contaminates drinking water supplies, concluding that while there have been some cases of contamination, the issue is not widespread.
Gulf States Reach $18.7 Billion Settlement with BP over Oil Spill
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Officials in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana announced an $18.7 billion settlement with BP on Thursday that resolves years of litigation over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The settlement announcement comes as a federal judge was preparing to rule on how much BP owed in federal Clean Water Act penalties after millions of gallons of oil spewed into the Gulf. Individual states also were pursuing litigation. Most of those penalties were to be distributed among the states for environmental and economic restoration projects along the Gulf Coast.
Sunoco Logistics Plans Pipeline to Marcus Hook
Sunoco Logistics Partners announced June 4 plans to build an additional pipeline to deliver Marcellus Shale products to Marcus Hook, reflecting a growing market for liquid fuels derived from the region's shale drilling. <em>The Philadelphia Inquirer reported</em> Sunoco Logistics said it intends to build two pipelines simultaneously as part of its Mariner East 2 project. The project, announced in November, is the second phase of a plan to move materials including propane, butane, and ethane from Appalachian shale-gas fields to the Marcus Hook Industrial Complex southwest of Philadelphia.
Wood Group Wins Onshore Pipeline Work for Origin Energy
Wood Group has secured a $1 million contract with Origin Energy to provide detailed design engineering for the onshore pipelines related to the Halladale, Black Watch & Speculant (HBWS) Natural Gas Project in South West Victoria, Australia. The HBWS gas fields are located in the offshore Otway Basin in Victoria but due to their proximity to shore, and to avoid sensitive marine environments, they are being drilled using extended reach drilling (ERD) techniques from onshore location and tied back to the existing Otway Gas Plant.
Analysis: Williams Takeover Bid Portends Moves to Come
In the wake of Energy Transfer Enterprises’ (ETE) thus far unsuccessful takeover bid of Williams Cos., some in the industry are predicting more of the same type of activity as cheap energy spurs stronger companies to look for less sound rivals to gobble up.
California Oil Spill Gushed Like Hose 'Without a Nozzle'
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Firefighters investigating a reported petroleum stench at a California beach last month didn't take long to find a spill — oil was spreading across the sand and into the surf. Tracing the source, they found crude gushing from a bluff like a fire hose "without a nozzle," records show.
Colombia's President Blasts Rebels for Causing Oil Spill
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — President Juan Manuel Santos says an oil spill triggered by a rebel attack on a pipeline the worst environmental disaster in Colombia's history. Santos made the comments Friday while visiting the southern port city of Tumaco to survey damage from the June 22 bombing by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.
Magellan, LBC to Build Terminal, Pipeline Infrastructure on Gulf Coast
Magellan Midstream Partnersand LBC Tank Terminals, LLC ("LBC") announced they formed a 50/50 limited liability company. Seabrook Logistics, to own and operate crude oil storage and pipeline infrastructure in the Houston Gulf Coast area. The assets will include more than 700,000 bbls of new crude oil storage and other distribution infrastructure located adjacent to LBC’s existing terminal in Seabrook. In addition, the JV will build an 18-inch pipeline, which will connect the new storage to an existing third-party pipeline that will transport crude oil to a Houston-area refinery.
European Regulators Clear Siemens' Buyout of Dresser-Rand
NEW YORK (AP) — European regulators have cleared Siemens' $7.6 billion acquisition of the U.S. oilfield equipment-maker Dresser-Rand. The German electronics and engineering company is beefing up its global oil and gas and power generation businesses, seeing growth opportunities in Dresser-Rand's portfolio of compressors, steam and gas turbines and engines. The deal is scheduled to close on June 30. Siemens AG has agreed to pay $83 per common share of Dresser-Rand, which has a market capitalization of $6.12 billion. The deal includes assumption of debt.
US Capacity to Refine Crude into Products Reaches 18 MMbpd, EIA Says
Increased refinery runs, based on increases in both capacity and use, have helped accommodate increases in U.S. crude oil production. The United States' capacity to refine crude oil into petroleum products – measured as operable atmospheric crude distillation unit (CDU) capacity – increased by 0.2% in 2014, reaching 18 MMbpd, according to EIA's annual Refinery Capacity Report.
Latest DOE Report Slams Canadas Oil Sands
Oil from Canada’s oil sands is about 20% more carbon-intensive on average than crude from elsewhere. That is the damming conclusion from a forthcoming new study by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and its partners. The study looked at a wells-to-wheels analysis, which takes into account greenhouse gas emissions along the entire supply chain, from extraction to transit, refining, and finally combustion by the end user.
Argentina, China lead shale development outside North America in first-half 2015
As recently as last year, only four countries in the world were producing commercial volumes of either natural gas from shale formations (shale gas) or crude oil from tight formations (tight oil): the United States and Canada, and more recently, Argentina and China. Beyond these four countries, other countries have started exploring hydrocarbons from shale and other tight resources, but they are still short of reaching commercial production.
PHMSA: Pipeline Operator Couldn't Reach Staff at California Spill Site
LOS ANGELES (AP) — As thousands of gallons of crude oil from a ruptured pipeline spread along the California coast, its operator was unable to contact workers near the break to get information required to alert federal emergency officials, records released Wednesday said. Personnel for Plains All American Pipeline needed the precise location of the May 19 spill and an estimate of its size before notifying the National Response Center, a clearinghouse for reports of hazardous-material releases, according to federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration documents.
ExxonMobil Halts 3 Oil Platforms Due to Santa Barbara Pipeline Spill
LOS ANGELES (AP) — ExxonMobil has been forced to halt operations at three offshore oil platforms because it couldn't deliver to refineries in the wake of a broken pipeline that spilled up to 101,000 gallons of crude on the Santa Barbara coast, the company said. Operations temporarily ceased last week because Santa Barbara County rejected its emergency application to truck oil to refineries, spokesman Richard Keil said Tuesday.
CorEnergy to Acquire Grand Isle Gathering System for $245 Million
CorEnergy Infrastructure Trust will acquire the Grand Isle Gathering System (GIGS), a subsea, midstream pipeline system with related onshore facilities serving oil-producing fields in the shallow portion of the Gulf of Mexico. GIGS is comprised of 153 miles of undersea pipeline, connects to seven oil fields, including four of the top 15 largest fields in the Gulf of Mexico shelf region with customers including ExxonMobil and Shell. It transports about 18,000 bpd of oil and 42,000 bpd of water with a capacity of 120,000 bpd.
Indonesia Banking On Big Return to Oil, Gas
Indonesia, the most populous country in South East Asia, is trying hard to reshape its ailing energy industry as it seeks new investors in both its exploration and refining sectors to dramatically upgrade its energy capabilities. At a time when most new global investments in oil and gas projects have either been cancelled or postponed due to low oil prices, this latest move by Indonesia is a bold one. However, Indonesia’s poor infrastructure and difficult domestic regulatory environment have affected investment in the past, with only seven oil and gas contracts signed in 2014.
Ethanol Production May Be Approaching 'Blend Wall'
It’s onward and stubbornly upward for the U.S. ethanol industry, which shows little sign of slowing after a record year in 2014. Weekly ethanol production matched its record high in the first week of June, equaling output from the week ending December 19, 2014. At 992,000 bpd, production is up 20,000 bpd from last week and more than 100,000 bpd since the beginning of May.
Every Company Needs a Tailored Solution
Service companies of every sort are scattered throughout the oil, gas and utilities industries. Mosaic is a Washington state-based business that moves its offerings one step further: by using its industry experience and analytical insight to develop strategy and consulting, training and technology services that are specifically designed for each customer.
India Now Worlds 3rd Largest Importer of Crude
The country’s oil imports have steadily climbed along with its growing economy. India has surpassed Japan in terms of oil imports multiple times over the past few years, and could trade spots again. But while they duel it out in the short-term, the outlook is clear. India’s import dependence is rising fast and it will be one of the largest sources of demand growth for the foreseeable future. The International Energy Agency predicts that India will burn through 4.1 MMbpd in the second quarter of this year, edging out Japan’s 3.8 MMbpd.
Photos of Ruptured West Coast Pipeline Offer Clues of Reason for Leak
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Photos of the pipeline that spilled oil on the Santa Barbara coast show extensive corrosion and provide clues about the cause of the rupture, experts said. Corrosion visible around the crack, coupled with wear documented inside the pipe, led Robert Bea, a civil engineering professor emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley, to believe the pipe burst during a pressure spike when the operator restarted pumps that had failed the morning of the May 19 spill.
Caspian Regions Newly Independent Nations Look for Higher Gas Profits
The Caspian region of Central Asia is one of the world’s most important oil and gas-producing regions. Until recently, Caspian gas traveled thousands of miles via largely Soviet-built pipelines to eastern Russia where a portion of it was re-exported to Europe at two and even three times the purchase price. Since 2010, however, newly built pipelines have carried natural gas east to China, which receives about 50% of Caspian gas exports, surpassing Russia and Europe’s share 26% and Iran and Turkey take of 24%.
Presidents Report Finds Energy Infrastructure Needs Major Investments
The need for major changes to the nation’s energy infrastructure is why President Obama initiated a quadrennial cycle of energy reviews to provide a multiyear roadmap for U.S. energy policy. The result is the recent release of the initial installment of the first-ever Quadrennial Energy Review 2015 (QER) prepared by the White House task force.
Crude by Rail Boosts West Coast Supply as Regional Production Falls
While U.S. crude oil production increased by nearly 3.2 MMbpd from 2010 to 2014, production in the West Coast region decreased by 100,000 bpd, continuing a long-term decline, EIA data showed. With no major crude oil pipelines connecting the West Coast to other parts of the country, refineries on the West Coast adjusted by increasing imports of foreign crude oil, reaching an average of 1.1 MMbpd over the past five years.
- PG&E Reduces Emissions from Gas Pipelines by More Than 20%
- Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Project to Nearly Triple Current Capacity to 890,000 bpd
- Spain's Tecnicas Reunidas, FCC to Build LNG Terminal Worth $1.1 Billion in Germany
- Canada Offers $26 Billion Green Tax Credits But Still Trails Behind US Incentives
- Pipeline Operator TC Energy Says Keystone Oil Spill Caused by Fatigue Crack
- Pipeline Operator TC Energy Says Keystone Oil Spill Caused by Fatigue Crack
- Permian In Spotlight as Energy Dealmaking Gathers Steam
- Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Project to Nearly Triple Current Capacity to 890,000 bpd
- Colombia's Cano Limon-Covenas Pipeline Attacked for Ninth Time in 2023
- Chad Nationalizes Exxon’s 621-Mile Pipeline as Dispute Over Asset Sale Escalates
