North America
Regional Spotlight: US Consolidates, Expands Ahead of LNG Export Demand
(P&GJ) — U.S. midstream companies would be hard-pressed this year to approach the record earnings that many achieved in 2022, but the sharp decline in oil and natural gas prices from last year’s highs hasn’t blunted their expansion efforts.
Head of Top US Oil-Export Port Resigns Abruptly
Sean Strawbridge, chief executive of the Port of Corpus Christi, the largest U.S. oil-export port by volume, resigned on Tuesday, the port operator said without providing any explanation.
Alaska LNG Project Clears Legal Challenge, Advances 800-Mile Gas Pipeline
A U.S. appeals court has rejected a lawsuit filed by environmental groups that challenged the federal approvals required for a $39 billion project aimed at transporting natural gas across Alaska, starting from the North Slope. According to a spokesperson, construction on the 800-mile pipeline and related infrastructure has not yet commenced.
Marcellus Bottlenecks Continue to Muddy the Picture
(P&GJ) — It has gotten to be a familiar yet no less frustrating story for midstream operators in the Marcellus-Utica region: pipeline takeaway capacity remains bottlenecked and production from the gas-rich region continues to stagnate.
Biden Administration Clears Mountain Valley Pipeline for Progress Through Jefferson National Forest
(P&GJ) — The Department of Agriculture's Forest Service issued a record of decision Monday afternoon, allowing the Mountain Valley Pipeline project to cut through a 3.5-mile stretch of the Jefferson National Forest along the West Virginia-Virginia border. The determination clears the way for the project — which is 94% complete but has been mired in a lengthy permitting process for years — to finish construction.
Cheniere Inks 19-Year LNG Supply Deal with Korea Southern Power
(P&GJ) — Under the agreement, Korea Southern Power has agreed to purchase approximately 0.4 MTPA of LNG from Cheniere on a delivered ex-ship basis from 2027 through 2046, with a smaller annual quantity to be delivered starting in 2024.
EIA: US Shale Production Set to Rise to Highest on Record in June
U.S. oil output from the seven biggest shale basins is due to rise in June to the highest on record, data from the Energy Information Administration showed on Monday. Oil output is set to rise by 41,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 9.33 million bpd, the EIA said.
Analysts: US Permit Crackdown Poses New Hurdles for Proposed LNG Projects
The U.S. Department of Energy's refusal to grant export permit extensions to LNG developers that fail to meet a construction deadline poses a new hurdle for greenfield plants, analysts said on Thursday.
Pipeline Operator TC Energy Finishes Recovering Oil from Kansas Creek in Keystone Spill
TC Energy Corp. finished recovering oil from a rural Kansas creek where its Keystone Pipeline spilled 14,000 barrels of oil in December, the company said on Friday.
Tight Market for Sour Crude Oil to Squeeze US Gulf Coast Refiners
The oil-producing group's 500,000 barrel per day cut will reduce stocks of sour crudes as U.S. oil refiners ramp up purchases for summer driving season.
Record US Crude Exports, Rising Shale Output Boosts Oil Flow to Houston
Oil pipelines from the top U.S. shale field to Houston that have run half empty are filling again as rising output has absorbed most of the space on lines to the main south Texas export hub in Corpus Christi.
Biden's EPA Proposes Crackdown on Power Plant Carbon Emissions
The Biden administration on Thursday unveiled a sweeping plan to slash greenhouse gas emissions from the U.S. power industry, one of the biggest steps so far in its effort to decarbonize the economy to fight climate change.
White House Backs Manchin on Expediting Energy Project Permits, Calls on Congress to Pass Bill
The White House on Wednesday called on Congress to pass permitting legislation that would help speed up clean energy and fossil fuel projects, betting that the bipartisan measure may help end a standoff on the debt ceiling. The bill also calls for the completion of the $6.6 billion Mountain Valley Pipeline.
Texas Waha Natural Gas Prices Turn Negative on Low Spring Demand
Spot natural gas prices for Wednesday at the Waha hub in the Permian Shale in West Texas fell into negative territory as pipeline maintenance prevented some gas from leaving the basin and mild spring weather reduced demand for the fuel.
DOE Selects Crescent Midstream-Supported Project to Advance Commercial-Scale CO2 Storage
(P&GJ) — The company plans to repurpose an existing 110-mile pipeline corridor it owns and operates, positioning Crescent to become one of the first full-service midstream solutions for CCS while also reducing the initiative’s carbon footprint.
Pipeline Operator Kinder Morgan Begins Commercial Operations at Renewable Fuels Logistics Hub
(P&GJ) — Kinder Morgan Inc. has announced the commercial in-service of its renewable feedstock storage and logistics hub project with Neste, a leading provider of renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel.
EOG Resources May Delay Some Dorado Gas Wells in Texas Due to Low Prices
U.S. shale producer EOG Resources on Friday said it may delay some well completions in its Dorado natural gas play in Texas due to a low-price environment.
Pembina Pipeline Activates Emergency Procedures After Fire, Floods Ravish Western Canada
Pembina Pipeline Corp., which operates oil-gathering pipelines in the region, said it has activated emergency response and incident management processes and is "evaluating any current or anticipated operational impacts".
Plains All American’s Oil Pipeline Volumes Rise 16% From Permian Basin Growth
The pipeline and storage company is the latest company to benefit from oil production from the Permian Basin, spread across Texas and New Mexico, and said it does not see any material change in expectations to its Permian production estimates amid worries of a slowdown in growth.
New Fortress Energy Could Install Fast LNG Units Onshore at Altamira, Mexico
U.S. energy company New Fortress Energy Inc. said on Thursday it could install the second and third of its Fast LNG production units onshore at Altamira in Mexico in the second half of 2024.
Biden to Support Manchin's Permitting Bill, Adviser Podesta Says
The White House will support Senator Joe Manchin's bill introduced on Tuesday to speed energy project permits, because it would help clean power companies use vast incentives in President Joe Biden's climate law, adviser John Podesta said.
Mexico Pacific to Pump $14 Billion Into Building Natural Gas Pipeline
Mexico Pacific is set to build a natural gas pipeline and liquefaction plant in the northern state of Sonora for an investment of up to $14 billion, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and his office said on Tuesday.
As Oil Output Peaks, US Gulf of Mexico Makes Room for Carbon Capture
Some companies, including Exxon Mobil Corp., have been dumping assets in the Gulf, the nation's primary offshore source of oil, and are instead targeting capturing and storing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases underground.
Equitrans May Still Complete 303-Mile Mountain Valley Gas Pipeline by End-2023
U.S. energy company Equitrans Midstream Corp. said on Tuesday it expects federal agencies to issue the required authorizations for its $6.6 billion Mountain Valley natural gas pipeline from West Virginia to Virginia by the early summer.
Enterprise Products' Oil Pipeline Volumes Rise on Permian Basin Output Growth
Enterprise has remained bullish on oil production from the Permian basin, spread across Texas and New Mexico, and is looking to build a crude oil export terminal on the Gulf Coast to help push some of those barrels into the foreign market.
MPLX Reports Boost in Total Pipeline Throughputs in Q1 2023
The company's overall gathered volumes averaged 6.4 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), a 21% increase from the first quarter of 2022, it said. Gathered volumes in the Marcellus in Pennsylvania averaged 1.4 Bcf/d, or a 4% increase. Additionally, it announced that it is working to expand natural gas long-haul and crude gathering pipelines for the Permian and Bakken basins.
Mississippi Gas Pipeline Operator Lifts Contract Suspension After Repairs
Canadian energy pipeline operator TC Energy Corp. said on Saturday that unit completed repairs on a portion of its Columbia Gulf Transmission gas transmission line in Mississippi that was halted a day earlier.
US LNG Exports Go Full Steam Ahead, Sales to Latin America Rise
U.S. producers of LNG exported at top capacity in April for a second consecutive month, with over two-thirds of shipments bound for Europe and rising volumes to Latin America, data showed on Monday.
Global News May 2023
Latest industry developments.
Pipeline Operator Enbridge Acquires Gas Storage Facility in British Columbia for $295 Million
The storage facility, which is connected to all three major long-haul natural gas transportation lines in Western Canada including Enbridge's Westcoast Pipeline and Alliance Pipeline, has a working storage capacity of 77 Bcf, the company said.
- TC Energy's Columbia Gas Pipeline Explodes Near Virginia's Interstate 81
- Supreme Court Approves Completion of 303-Mile Mountain Valley Gas Pipeline
- Poland Detects Leak in Russia's Druzhba Oil Pipeline
- Energy Transfer to Buy Crestwood in $7.1 Billion Pipeline Deal
- DT Midstream Successfully Completes Phase 1 LEAP Expansion Ahead of Schedule
- Supreme Court Approves Completion of 303-Mile Mountain Valley Gas Pipeline
- Canada Looking to Sell Trans Mountain Pipeline Stake to Indigenous Groups
- Energy Transfer to Buy Crestwood in $7.1 Billion Pipeline Deal
- Criteria to Consider in Selecting Water Transfer Flow Meters
- US Energy Firm Payouts to Oil Investors Top Exploration Spending for First Time
