Perspectives

An Operator’s Perspective: How to Comply with New US Gas Gathering, ILI Regulations

(P&GJ) —Traditionally, most gas gathering lines were small-diameter, low-pressure systems traversing sparsely populated areas, posing little risk from a business, safety, and environmental perspective. More recently, the volume of gas transported through gathering systems has increased significantly due to the advancements in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing techniques.

AGA Chair Sees Future Shaped by Education, Innovation

(P&GJ) — Suzanne Sitherwood sat down with Pipeline & Gas Journal in March – the same week she announced her upcoming retirement from Spire – to discuss her career, her outlook for the natural gas industry and her objectives as the 2023 chair of the American Gas Association (AGA).

INGAA Responds to Biden Administration Outline of Permitting Reform Priorities

(P&GJ) — "While President Biden and Secretary Granholm have both, at times, acknowledged the prolonged need for natural gas as part of the energy mix to support reliability and affordability while contributing to emissions reductions, we were disappointed to see almost no mention of natural gas or its related infrastructure in the Administration’s new Permitting Reform Priorities Fact Sheet," said Amy Andryszak, president and CEO of INGAA.

Focus: BP Ventures Back into Oil Frontiers to Boost Output

BP is ramping up oil exploration and drilling activity in frontier prospects as the energy giant tries to stem a decline in its oil and gas output after years of focusing on a shift to renewables to cut carbon emissions.

Spire Adds Storage in Rockies, Western US

(P&GJ) — To meet the growing energy demands in the Rockies and Western U.S., Spire Storage is expanding its facilities in Wyoming, with partial availability of additional natural gas storage capacity becoming available in 2024.

INGAA Chairman Amato Sees Permitting, Workforce Development Among Priorities

(P&GJ) — New INGAA Foundation Chair Paul Amato doesn’t exactly come from the hotbed of the natural gas industry, but in a manner of speaking, he became part of it as soon as possible. During this interview with P&GJ, Amato discusses, among other issues, his first impressions of INGAA, training and retaining younger talent, and keeping an eye on methane reduction and other permitting issues.

Guest Perspective: Opportunity Exists in Challenging Market

(P&GJ) — Market concerns regarding the potential impact of a recession have weighed heavily on the energy industry despite fundamentals remaining strong. Many industry professionals have said that “fear of recession” is more concerning than the actual impact a recessionary economy may have on the space.

Insight: Huge Phillips 66 Biofuels Project Will Test the Industry’s Green Promises

In the oldest refining town in the American West, Phillips 66 is promising a greener future as it moves to halt crude-oil processing and build a massive renewable diesel plant.

Oil, Gas Executives on Hydrogen: Forget the Rainbow, Just Make It Profitable

Hydrogen as a potential alternative to natural gas, coal or oil burned in heavy industry or shipping is seen as key to reducing emissions in sectors where electrification is impractical. Hydrogen is often described by color and many in the industry call it a "rainbow renewable," but the most important color is green — as in cash, executives at CERAWeek said.

CERAWeek: Collapse in US Natural Gas Prices Dents Market for Shale Deals

This year's freefall in U.S. natural gas prices has upended the acquisitions market for gas producers and spooked investors that lined up to buy when prices were much, much higher.

Chevron CEO Says Natural Gas Markets Fundamentally Changed by War

The global natural gas market has been more fundamentally changed for the long term by Russia's invasion of Ukraine than the oil market, CEO Mike Wirth said on Monday.

Guest Perspective: Plastic Pipe Regulations, Rules and Results

(P&GJ) — The continued increase in oil and gas output is relying more and more on spoolable reinforced plastic pipe and polyethylene (PE) line pipe. This is due to the high integrity of the pipe itself, and ease of installation. Additionally, PE pipes are easily joined by heat fusion forming a monolithic system that eliminates the potential for leaks at the joints.

Financial Community’s Outlook on Oil and Natural Gas

(P&GJ) — Hop-scotching around North America in the fall of 2022 turned up varying voices calling for systemic changes in the energy industry that carry impacts from Wall Street to main street, from Canada to Mexico.

APGA Perspective: Policymakers Need to Incentivize Natural Gas Innovations

(P&GJ) — Energy security, affordability and efficiency remain top-of-mind for American consumers. As such, the role of natural gas in our country’s future energy mix has sparked continuous debate among voters and policymakers.

Global Pipeline Construction Outlook 2023

(P&GJ) — Seldom has a new year arrived with the degree of supply and demand uncertainty facing global energy markets at the start of 2023. Pipeline & Gas Journal's annual survey of global construction activity reflects a renewed emphasis on energy security after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Russian Pipeline Gas Exports to Europe Fall to Post-Soviet Low

Russian gas exports to Europe via pipelines plummeted to a post-Soviet low in 2022 as its largest customer cut imports due the invasion of Ukraine and the Nord Stream pipeline was damaged by mysterious blasts

Analysis: Argentina’s Vaca Muerta Shale Boom Running Out of Road

Argentina’s booming shale production in Vaca Muerta, a formation that rivals the United States’ Permian Basin, is at risk of running out of road as infrastructure to handle the oil and gas nears capacity, threatening to put the brakes on rapid growth.

How Germany is Replacing Russian Gas

Germany, Europe's biggest economy and historically a major importer of Russian gas, is scrambling to secure alternative supplies following a plunge in flows from Russia since its invasion of Ukraine.

Analysis-Pipeline Blasts Leave Nord Stream in Insurance Limbo

With the mystery of the blasts that destroyed undersea gas pipelines between Russia and Germany unsolved, Nord Stream 1's insurers and reinsurers are grappling with how to respond to hundreds of millions of dollars in potential claims.

Perspective: Agencies with Power to Approve Pipelines Need a Reality Check

Federal regulators with the power to approve natural gas pipelines need to make judgment calls on everything from how pipelines will affect farmland to how much methane will leak. When real-world data comes in that contradicts predictions, regulators ought to reevaluate their decisions in the light of new facts.

Retiring EnLink Founder Davis Recounts Decades of Change

(P&GJ) — EnLink Midstream Chairman and CEO Barry E. Davis is stepping away from EnLink, the company he founded and led for more than 25 years. In this exclusive interview with Pipeline & Gas Journal, Davis discusses what it takes to get a pipeline built today, the importance of carbon capture efforts in the coming years, and he also picks a couple of his favorite pipeline projects from his career.

Executive Profile: Advocating for Natural Gas, Clean Energy Future

(P&GJ) — Former Enbridge and Spectra Energy executive and long-time midstream advocate Susan Waller has taken on the role of executive director of the Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future.

Perspective: Rebalancing Texas’ Grid the Right Way

On the afternoon July 11, the part of the Texas electric grid managed by the Electricity Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) produced roughly 80,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity.

Energy Transition Spells Opportunity for Midstream Sector

These are interesting times in midstream, and it’s going to take some collective courage, creativity and calculated investment to make sure “interesting” refers to opportunities seized rather than the ominous outcomes the old “may you live in interesting times” expression portends.

Perspective: Security for US and Europe Begins with New Energy Policy

It is high time that the U.S. forges a new energy policy, based on facts and common sense. Before Tuesday’s decision to halt the import of Russian oil and gas, the Biden Administration had put more sanctions on U.S. oil and gas than on Russian oil and gas.

Factbox: Europe's Options in Case of Russian Gas Disruption

Europe relies on Russia for around 40% of its natural gas. What are the region's options in the event that Russian gas deliveries are suspended or pipeline flows are impacted by war damage?

Germany Must Regulate Gas Storage to Secure Supplies - Minister

Germany must introduce regulation that commits its privately operated gas storage facility to have full capacity before winter to avoid the kind of energy crunch gripping the country, Economy Minister Robert Habeck said on Monday.

US Supplies Give China Muscle to Become Major Force in LNG Trade

Chinese firms are set to become a major trading force in the global liquefied natural gas market in coming years, thanks to liberalizations at home and recently signed long term contracts for record amounts of LNG from U.S. suppliers.

Geopolitics, Not Fundamentals, Driving Oil Higher - UAE Minister

Tensions between Russia and the West are driving oil prices, rather than the kind of fundamental fuel shortage that would justify accelerated output increases from OPEC+, UAE energy minister Suhail al-Mazrouei said on Monday.

U.S. Power Use to Rise in 2022 as Economy Continues to Grow - EIA

U.S. power consumption will rise in 2022 and 2023 as the economy continues to recover, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said in its Short Term Energy Outlook on Tuesday.