Marcellus Drilling News

Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide OH | Statewide PA | Statewide WV | West Virginia

PJM Threatens Gas-Fired Power Plants with $2B in Fines re Cold Snap
January 17, 2023January 17, 2023

PJM is the largest electric grid operator in the U.S. It serves 65 million people in 13 states plus the District of Columbia (including PA, OH, and WV). PJM is coming under criticism for an almost-blackout during the recent Christmas cold snap. If not for certain gas-fired peaker plants, like that in the Little Town of Bethlehem, the lights would have gone out during a brutal cold snap (see Bethlehem Marcellus-Fired Power Plant Kept PA Lights on During Xmas). Some 23% of the electricity supplied to PJM was not available during the cold snap due to equipment failures and lack of supply (including natural gas frozen off at well pads). So PJM is “investigating” and threatening to assess up to $2 billion in fines on power producers who failed to supply electricity according to their contracts.
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Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pipelines | Regulation | Transco | Williams

Green Zealots Challenge FERC Approval of Northeast Expansion Pipe
January 17, 2023January 17, 2023

Last week the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) finally approved the Williams Regional Energy Access Expansion (REAE) project, an upgrade to the Transco pipeline in Pennsylvania and New Jersey to deliver an extra 829 MMcf/d of Marcellus gas to PA, NJ, and Maryland (see FERC Approves Transco $950M Northeast Expansion Pipe Project). No good deed goes unpunished. Right on cue, the leftist green mob has come out of the woodwork to challenge the project. The first step is to request a rehearing by FERC, and when FERC turns that down, file a lawsuit in court.
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CNG/LNG | Exporting | Industrywide Issues

Every Week Freeport LNG Delayed Takes 4 LNG Cargoes Off Market
January 17, 2023January 17, 2023

The 2 Bcf/d Freeport LNG export terminal, located in Quintana Island, Texas, has been offline and not producing LNG since June 2022 due to an explosion (see Explosion Rocks Freeport LNG Export Plant – Offline for 3 Weeks). Freeport, which exports some Marcellus/Utica molecules, has changed its estimated restart date multiple times. Earlier this month, Freeport revised its restart date to be the end of January (see Familiar Pattern: Freeport LNG Delays Restart Again, to End Jan.). A week later, sources told Reuters that restart will almost certainly be sometime in February (see Sources Say Freeport LNG Won’t Restart Until End of February). Every week the Freeport facility remains offline removes another four LNG cargo carriers from delivering our LNG to the rest of the world.
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Ascent Resources | Energy Companies | Ohio | Statewide OH

Amanda Finn Elected Chairperson of Ohio Oil & Gas Association
January 17, 2023January 17, 2023

Amanda Finn

Amanda Finn is Director of External Affairs at Ascent Resources, Ohio’s largest natural gas producer and the 8th largest natural gas producer in the U.S. Finn was just elected the 38th Chair of the Board for the Ohio Oil & Gas Association (OOGA). She is blazing a trail. In all of OOGA’s 75-year history, Finn is (1) the youngest individual to serve as Chair, (2) the first female to serve in that role, and (3) the first person representing a shale operator to serve in that role. That’s quite a list! Very impressive.
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Industrywide Issues | Research

Author of Sham “Study” on Gas Stoves Admits No Link to Asthma
January 17, 2023January 17, 2023

A week ago, MDN told you that the Bidenista who heads up the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) was floating a trial balloon of banning the use of natural gas stoves across the entire country (see Bidenistas Make a Run at Banning Natural Gas Stoves Nationwide). There was, deservedly, an uproar over his statements. The CPSC Bidenista used a sham study from the Rocky Mountain Institute that purportedly showed a link between gas stoves and childhood asthma as his excuse. Under withering attacks, the Rocky Mountain Institute has admitted, publicly, that their study does NOT prove a link between gas stoves and asthma actually exists.
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Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | New York | Niagara County

Green Radicals Sue NYS for Approving Niagara Falls Bitcoin Plant
January 17, 2023January 17, 2023

The radicals of Earthjustice have struck again. Representing two other disgusting radical groups–the Sierra Club and Clean Air Coalition of Western New York–last week Earthjustice filed a lawsuit to block the sale of a truly tiny (55 megawatt) gas-fired power plant in Western New York (near Niagara Falls) to a Canadian bitcoin operator. Gov. Hochul wonders why more people are fleeing NY than any other state in the country. This is why.
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Butler County | CNX Resources | Education | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania

CNX Hires Slippery Rock Petroleum/NatGas Grad as Engineer
January 17, 2023January 17, 2023

Cayman Kelly, 2022 Slippery Rock University graduate

For years we’ve highlighted the top-notch educational program available at Lackawanna College’s School of Petroleum and Natural Gas (PNG), now located in Tunkhannock (Wyoming County), PA (see Lackawanna College School of Petroleum & Natural Gas Expands). The PNG program is unique, one of just a handful nationwide that runs a two-year program to train students to be technicians, able to operate sophisticated machinery and run compressor stations, for example. But what if a student wants to become an engineer in the oil and gas space? What kind of programs exist for that in the Marcellus/Utica? Across the state near Pittsburgh (in Bulter County), Slippery Rock University launched a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering in 2016. A graduate from that program, Cayman Kelly, is now an associate engineer at CNX Resources.
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MUI

MDN Upstream Index (MUI) – Jan 17, 2023
January 17, 2023January 17, 2023

The most recent day of active trading was Fri., Jan. 13, 2023. The numbers below reflect Friday’s closing numbers. (There was no trading yesterday.)

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Best of the Rest

Other Stories of Interest: Tue, Jan 17, 2023
January 17, 2023January 17, 2023

OTHER U.S. REGIONS: When Joe Biden says no, Florida says go; NATIONAL: Produced water recycling approach attracts international attention; Borton-Lawson joins top ENR firm Verdantas; Bullish signals for oil, but not for natural gas; INTERNATIONAL: Canada adds another 38 rigs; What will be the top theme for oil and gas in 2023?; European gas slumps to 16-month low on strong supply outlook; Germany opens its 2nd liquefied natural gas terminal; Russian gas will eventually return to Europe as nations forgive and forget.
Read More “Other Stories of Interest: Tue, Jan 17, 2023”