Columbia Gas Pipeline Under the Potomac River Finally Goes Online
It took eight years and untold legal fees (on both sides) before a tiny 3.4-mile, 8-inch natural gas pipeline under the Potomac River was finally built and went online. In April 2017, MDN brought you the news that Columbia Pipeline (owned by TransCanada) had applied with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to build a pipeline under the Potomac to connect natural gas from Pennsylvania to the Mountaineer Gas system in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia (see New 3.5 Mile Pipeline Project to Drill Under the Potomac River). That tiny section of pipeline is part of the larger Eastern Panhandle Expansion project—a project to deliver natural gas via local distribution channels (local utility Mountaineer Gas) to a new industrial facility in Berkeley County, WV, and to provide gas to other local businesses and residents in the Tri-State area. Read More “Columbia Gas Pipeline Under the Potomac River Finally Goes Online”
The NYMEX “front month” futures contract for natural gas (August contract) slid lower yesterday for a second day in a row. The price dropped 12.6 cents per million British thermal units (MMBtus), or nearly 4%, to $3.214 yesterday. The price was down 19.8 cents (nearly 6%) over the past two days. According to one analyst (whom we trust), this “decisive breakdown” in natural gas puts the $3.10 support level at risk, opening the path to deeper downside targets, including $2.97 and $2.79. Yuck. 
In May of 2024, CNX Resources Corp., KeyState Energy, and Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) announced they were working together on a $1.5 billion project that, if completed, would make sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at PIT from coalbed methane gas (see 
In May, NRG Energy announced a deal to acquire LS Power’s portfolio of natural-gas power plants in a deal valued at roughly $12 billion, including debt, that will expand NRG’s footprint in Texas and along the East Coast (see 
No wonder Venture Global continues to love the model of signing up customers to buy its LNG via contract (which reassures investors so they give money to build a plant), then denies those contracted customers their shipments FOR YEARS under the pretense that they are still working the kinks out at the facility (called commissioning) while at the same time selling cargoes of LNG on the open/spot market. VG is receiving 2.6 times more money for spot market cargoes compared to cargoes shipped to contracted customers. The question we can’t answer is, why do any new customers sign up, given the company’s history? 
If you’ve read MDN for any length of time, you know that so-called renewable energy, wind and solar, are unreliable and really, really expensive. Most people believe renewables overcome those problems by being good for the environment. No so! Renewables are actually bad for the environment. We will explain… 
OTHER U.S. REGIONS: FERC issues notice to proceed with construction at Mississippi Hub; NATIONAL: Chevron preps quick closing of Hess deal and awaits result of Exxon dispute; Executives reveal where they see Henry Hub price landing in future; How rising renewable output complicates natural gas trading; Natural gas is green and hugely beneficial economically; Trump says wind and solar are ‘a blight on our country’; INTERNATIONAL: Oil holds gains despite US crude surge; Oil giant Saudi Aramco in talks with Commonwealth LNG for offtake agreement.