Marcellus Drilling News

CNG/LNG | Energy Services | Exporting | Industrywide Issues | Kinder Morgan

FERC OKs Kinder Morgan Elba Island LNG Train #1 to Begin Service
October 2, 2019October 2, 2019

Elba Island LNG (click for larger version)

Hallelujah! On Monday the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) granted permission to Kinder Morgan to *finally* begin full export operations for Train #1 at the Elba Island, Georgia LNG (liquefied natural gas) export facility. It has been a loooooong time coming. FERC first approved KM’s request to build the facility back in 2016 (see KM’s Elba Island LNG Export Plant Approved by FERC). Since that time there have been a number of “we’re almost ready to start” string of broken promises. FERC has just authorized the first of 10 trains at Elba Island. The other trains should now come online in fairly rapid succession.
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Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY | Williams

NY DEC Asks FERC to Reconsider Ruling to Allow Constitution Pipe
October 2, 2019October 2, 2019

DEC goads FERC

You can’t say we didn’t warn you. In August the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) ruled that the New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) took too long to deny a federal Clean Water Act “Section 401” water crossing permit for the Williams Constitution Pipeline project (see Victory! FERC Overrules NY DEC to Allow Constitution Pipeline). Which means the project is now back on, approved by FERC itself. The DEC, thoroughly corrupted and politicized by NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo, said it will “fight” FERC’s ruling (see NY DEC Will “Fight” FERC over Constitution Pipeline Decision). The fight has begun, with an appeal by the DEC to FERC itself.
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Coterra Energy (Cabot O&G) | Energy Companies | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Statewide PA | Transco | Williams

Cabot Pockets $89 Million Profit on Sale of Atlantic Sunrise Pipe
October 2, 2019October 2, 2019

On Monday MDN brought you the news that NextEra Energy, largely a renewables company, has made the bold move of buying 39% of the Central Penn Line, otherwise known as Williams’ Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline project (see NextEra Energy Buys 39% Stake in Atlantic Sunrise Pipe for $1.37B). There is another aspect of that story worth mentioning–an aspect that involves Cabot Oil & Gas and a tidy profit.
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Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Luzerne County | Pennsylvania

Caithness Cuts Ribbon on Marcellus-Fired Plant Near Wilkes-Barre
October 2, 2019October 2, 2019

In September 2018, the 1,050-megawatt Moxie Freedom Marcellus-fired power plant located near Wilkes-Barre, PA (Luzerne County) went online, feeding the electricity it produces into the local power grid (see Moxie Freedom Marcellus-Fired Plant Near Wilkes-Barre Online). And yet Caithness Energy, owner of the plant, held the official ribbon-cutting ceremony…yesterday. More than a year after going online. Why?
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Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pipelines | Processing Plants | Williams

Williams Processing & Fractionation Assets in the Marcellus/Utica
October 2, 2019October 2, 2019

Our friends at RBN Energy launched a new mini-series of blog posts delving into Marcellus/Utica gas processing and fractionation back in August. The first post in the series dealt with an overview of processing and fractionation in the wet gas region–meaning southwest PA, eastern OH, and the northern panhandle of WV (see Overview of Gas Processing & Fractionation in M-U Wet Gas Region). The series continued in September with a look at the major assets owned by MarkWest in the M-U (see MarkWest Continues to Expand NGL Infrastructure in the Wet M-U). And now, in a third installment, RBN takes a look at the mighty Williams and their M-U assets.
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Industrywide Issues | Pipelines | Regulation

Trump Selects FERC Attorney James Danly as New Commissioner
October 2, 2019October 2, 2019

James Danly

On Monday The White House announced President Trump intends to nominate (which we take to mean he will nominate) attorney James Danly as the third Republican Commissioner of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Danly is currently FERC’s General Counsel (i.e. main attorney). Danly knows the agency, its work, and its personalities. Who better to appoint? Of course Democrats are already griping and moaning that President Trump should also name a Democrat to the final open seat at the Commission. The Dems argue the two currently open FERC Commissioner seats should be considered together, or not at all. Whatever.
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Industrywide Issues | Research

IHS Markit Says New Conventional Drilling is Pretty Much Dead
October 2, 2019October 2, 2019

IHS Markit, a global analytics company that tracks data in the oil and gas industry, recently published a new report titled “IHS Markit Conventional Exploration Results in Early 2018 Through 2019: No Rebound in Activity or Results.” Although we don’t have a copy of the full report, we do have IHS Markit’s excellent summary of the report. Here’s how we summarize their summary: Conventional (vertical only) drilling for oil and gas is pretty much dead and will remain dead–and shale killed it.
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Best of the Rest

Shale Energy Stories of Interest: Wed, Oct 2, 2019
October 2, 2019October 2, 2019

MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Schlumberger introduces at-bit steerable system for drilling horizontal wells in a single run; David Benson, P.E. joins Steel Nation engineering; The big change that’s about to happen at the Shell cracker site; Pittsburgh Technical College launches initiative for region’s changing workforce; NATIONAL: The energy sector lagged in the third quarter; Renewable Portfolio Standard Scam (Part 2) – video; INTERNATIONAL: Capitalism is what really worries global warmists and fractivists.
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