Marcellus Drilling News

Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | NextEra Energy | Pipelines

NextEra Energy Buys 39% Stake in Atlantic Sunrise Pipe for $1.37B
September 30, 2019October 4, 2019

Penn Central Line in red (click for larger version)

Some big news to share. NextEra Energy Partners, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy which owns and operates solar and wind projects, as well as natural gas pipelines, announced early this morning they have cut a deal to buy Meade Pipeline Co LLC for $1.37 billion. Meade Pipeline is the name for a joint venture between several companies that own 39.2% of what is called the Central Penn Line pipeline system, otherwise known as Williams’ Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline–a major new pipeline that has single-handedly lifted the price drillers (and consequently landowners) receive for northeastern PA Marcellus gas.
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Empire Energy | Energy Companies | New York | Statewide NY

Empire Energy Continues to Hold Marc/Utica Acreage in NY State
September 30, 2019September 30, 2019

Every now and again we like to check in on a company that continues to keep the faith with respect to shale drilling in New York State. Empire Energy, according to its website, owns “large scale shale acreage” in the Marcellus, Utica and Bakken. Most of Empire’s Marcellus/Utica shale acreage is in New York State–where shale drilling is (so far) not allowed. According to a recent press release, Empire continues to hold its NY shale acreage “at minimal cost.”
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | New York | Orange County

A Few Old Hippies Protest Orange Co NatGas Plant on Youth Day
September 30, 2019April 20, 2022

Last October Competitive Power Ventures’ 680-megawatt CPV Valley Energy Center in Wawayanda (Orange County), NY fired up and began producing, using Marcellus gas, enough electricity to power 600,000 liberal NY homes (see CPV Marcellus-Fired Elec Plant in Orange County Now Online!). New York Gov. Cuomo tried his best to block the plant from going online, but failed. It’s been operating safely ever since. But that doesn’t stop a few dedicated protesters from showing up when there’s an excuse to do so, just to keep their desire to shut it down alive in local media.
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Ohio | Statewide OH

OOGEEP Offers Free Training: “Responding to Oilfield Emergencies”
September 30, 2019September 30, 2019

The hits keep coming from OOGEEP, the Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Program. In May we brought you OOGEEP’s top notch new resource to help workers discover new careers in the oil and gas industry (see 75+ Gas and Oil Related Careers in the Marcellus/Utica). In June OOGEEP parceled out 65 scholarships ($1,000 minimum award) to students pursuing careers in the oil and gas industry (see OOGEEP Hands Out Another 65 Oil & Gas Scholarships). And now, OOGEEP is conducting two free firefighter workshops, one in October, the other in November, to train first responders in how to respond in situations that involve natural gas and crude oil.
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Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Statewide WV | West Virginia

WVU Engineer Gets $2.5M Grant to Study NatGas Power Plant Boilers
September 30, 2019September 30, 2019

Debangsu Bhattacharyya, WVU

Quick question: What is the “heart” of an electric power generating plant? The turbines that spin and make the electricity, right? Actually, no! The “heart” of a powergen plant is, according to West Virginia University engineering professor Debangsu Bhattacharyya…the boiler. Say what?! That’s right. The boiler produces the steam to turn the turbine and if you can improve the efficiency of the boiler (prevent it from breaking down), you increase the efficiency of the whole plant. Dr. Bhattacharyya has just received a $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Dept. of Energy to study the use of AI (artificial intelligence) to monitor and improve the performance of boilers in natgas (and coal) power plants.
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Industrywide Issues | Research

EIA’s International Energy Outlook 2019 – Mandatory Reading
September 30, 2019September 30, 2019

Last week MDN published a post from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (based on EIA data) that points out worldwide energy use over the next 30 years will increase another 50%, and most of it will still be provided by (yep), fossil fuels (see World Energy Use Up 50% Next 30 Years, Powered by Fossil Fuels). Forbes writer Jude Clemente noticed the EIA post as well. He dug in to the EIA’s “International Energy Outlook 2019” report on which the data is based and declares the full report is, “a glorious read, and one that I deem mandatory for all Americans.” We concur! Forthwith is the full report, along with Clemente’s observations about it.
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Best of the Rest

Shale Energy Stories of Interest: Mon, Sep 30, 2019
September 30, 2019September 30, 2019

MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Letter: Time to get Atlantic Coast Pipeline project moving again; OTHER U.S. REGIONS: New identity for BP in the shale fields; Port trucking company replaces diesel with natural gas trucks; Is the Permian natural gas price rally real?; NATIONAL: Lower 48 E&P bankruptcies not ‘epidemic,’ says Rystad; Shale boom is slowing just when the world needs oil most; Trump’s four biggest secrets are the economy; INTERNATIONAL: Extinction Rebellion funded by rich trust-funders and special interests; First export cargo from Freeport LNG nears UAE port; New IPCC report on ocean warming cites a flawed and retracted paper.
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