Energy Services

Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | MarkWest Energy | Pennsylvania | Processing Plants | Regulation | Washington County

PA DEP Issues Permit for Expansion of MarkWest Harmon Creek Plant
June 1, 2026June 1, 2026

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection issued an air quality permit on May 18, 2026, to MarkWest Liberty Midstream, authorizing the expansion of its Harmon Creek Natural Gas Processing Plant in Washington County. The MarkWest name is still used, although the company is now MPLX. The DEP permit approval allows the addition of a third cryogenic plant and a second de-ethanization plant. A number of Big Green groups colluded in an attempt to block the permits, but their demands were ignored. Read More “PA DEP Issues Permit for Expansion of MarkWest Harmon Creek Plant”
Baker Hughes | Energy Services | Ohio | Pennsylvania | West Virginia

M-U Rigs Even @ 36; Haynesville Even @ 55; Nat’l Up 4 @ 562
June 1, 2026June 1, 2026

Last week, the combined Marcellus/Utica Baker Hughes rig count remained at 36 active rigs for the third week in a row. The M-U’s chief competitor, the Haynesville, maintained its count of 55 active rigs, operating 19 more than the M-U. The national count added 4 rigs last week, bringing the total to 562 rigs. That’s the sixth week in a row the national count has added rigs, driven by new oil-focused rigs. Baker Hughes said oil rigs rose by four to 429 last week, their highest since June 2025, while gas rigs held steady at 125 and other miscellaneous rigs held steady at 8. Read More “M-U Rigs Even @ 36; Haynesville Even @ 55; Nat’l Up 4 @ 562”
Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Kinder Morgan | Litigation | Pipelines | South Carolina

KM Forced to Take SC Landowners to Court to Allow Pipe Surveys
May 29, 2026May 29, 2026

In April 2025, MDN told you about a new greenfield expansion of Kinder Morgan’s (KM) Elba Express pipeline into South Carolina to serve growing demand for natural gas in the state (see KM Pipes Update: Expand Elba to SC; SSE4 Survey Work Done). The $431 million Elba Express Bridge project is designed to provide 325 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) of firm transportation capacity to a new gas-fired power plant in Colleton County, SC (see SC PSC Approves Gas-Fired Power Plant Proposed for Edisto River). KM sent letters to 185 landowners in South Carolina along the proposed route, requesting permission to survey their land for the project (see SC Landowners Receive Notice of Survey Work for Elba Express Pipe). Some 60 of those landowners have refused permission, forcing KM to take them to court. Read More “KM Forced to Take SC Landowners to Court to Allow Pipe Surveys”
Calfrac | Energy Services | Fayette County | Pennsylvania

Oilfield Services Co. Closing Southwest PA Office, Cutting 75 Jobs
May 27, 2026May 27, 2026

Calfrac Well Services Ltd. is an oilfield services company headquartered in Canada, with major offices and operations in the United States and Argentina. Calfrac’s services include hydraulic fracturing, coiled tubing, cementing, and other well stimulation techniques designed to help increase the production of oil and natural gas. Sadly, Calfrac is closing its Fayette County, PA, office in September, resulting in about 75 job losses. That’s according to a WARN notice filed by the company with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. Read More “Oilfield Services Co. Closing Southwest PA Office, Cutting 75 Jobs”
Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | LDCs | Leatherstocking Gas | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Susquehanna County

PA PIPE Grant Expands NatGas to 131 Susquehanna Co. Homes & Biz’s
May 27, 2026May 27, 2026

Montrose, PA

Pennsylvania’s Pipeline Investment Program (or PIPE) grants cover part of the cost for building new natural gas pipelines to connect homes and businesses, typically in rural parts of the state, to homegrown Marcellus Shale gas supplies. We’ve written about many of these grants over the years (see our stories here). Last week, PA’s Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) announced another PIPE grant, this one going to a community in Susquehanna County, PA—the state’s most productive natural gas producing county. Read More “PA PIPE Grant Expands NatGas to 131 Susquehanna Co. Homes & Biz’s”
Baker Hughes | Energy Services | Ohio | Pennsylvania | West Virginia

M-U Rigs Even @ 36; Haynesville Down 1 @ 55; Nat’l Up 7 @ 558
May 26, 2026May 26, 2026

Last week, the combined Marcellus/Utica Baker Hughes rig count maintained its cumulative count of 36 active rigs after dropping 1 rig two weeks ago in the PA Marcellus (see M-U Rigs Down 1 @ 36; Haynesville Down 2 @ 56; Nat’l Up 3 @ 551). The M-U’s chief competitor, the Haynesville, dropped 1 rig last week to land at 55 active rigs, operating 19 more than the M-U. The national count added 7 rigs last week, bringing the total to 558 rigs. That’s the fifth week in a row the national count has added rigs. Read More “M-U Rigs Even @ 36; Haynesville Down 1 @ 55; Nat’l Up 7 @ 558”
Columbia Pipeline Group | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Kentucky | Pipelines | TC Energy/TransCanada

TC Energy to Build 42 Miles of Kentucky Pipe for Gas Plant
May 26, 2026May 26, 2026

Maysville Project map (click for larger version)

Although TC Energy filed to build a new pipeline project in Kentucky last November, we’re just now learning about it. TC Energy is proposing the Maysville Project, a 42-mile pipeline expansion of its Columbia Gulf Transmission (CGT) System in Kentucky, to supply 340,000 dekatherms per day (328 MMcf/d) of Marcellus/Utica gas for East Kentucky Power Cooperative’s Hugh L. Spurlock Power Station in Maysville, KY. Traversing Rowan, Fleming, and Mason counties, this infrastructure project includes a new delivery meter station and interconnect in Maysville. Read More “TC Energy to Build 42 Miles of Kentucky Pipe for Gas Plant”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pipelines | Regulation | Williams

Big Green, NY DEC File Separate Lawsuits to Block Constitution Pipe
May 26, 2026May 26, 2026

Well, you knew this was going to happen. Last week, a group of disgusting Big Green groups and the New York State Attorney General both filed separate lawsuits in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (2nd Circuit), challenging the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) decision to resurrect the Constitution Pipeline under the existing (but dormant) docket. NY AG Tish James, representing the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), argues that a brand new review should be done by the state to evaluate the project for compliance with the federal Clean Water Act. You may recall that NY previously lost its right to evaluate the Constitution project by stretching out its review for years, causing FERC to overrule NY (see Victory! FERC Overrules NY DEC to Allow Constitution Pipeline). Read More “Big Green, NY DEC File Separate Lawsuits to Block Constitution Pipe”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | North Carolina | Pipelines | Regulation | Transco | Virginia | Williams

4th Circuit Panel Rejects Antis’ Plea to Block Transco SESE Work
May 21, 2026May 21, 2026

One week ago, MDN told you that a three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (4th Circuit) heard oral arguments from Big Green asking the court to block construction of Williams’ Transco Southeast Supply Enhancement Project (SESE) while a court case challenging permits issued for the project grinds slowly through the legal system (see 4th Circuit Judge Tells Antis to Post a $100M Bond to Block Pipe). This past Monday, the judges politely (in legalese) told Big Green to kiss off. Read More “4th Circuit Panel Rejects Antis’ Plea to Block Transco SESE Work”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Enbridge | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pipelines

CT Sierra Club Lies About Enbridge Project Beacon Cost, Pollution
May 21, 2026May 21, 2026

Yesterday, MDN told you that Enbridge has launched an open season for customers to sign up for capacity along an expanded Algonquin Gas Transmission pipeline in New England (see Enbridge Proposes Major Expansion of Algonquin Pipe: Project Beacon). While details about Project Beacon are still vague, the company has indicated it would replace sections of the pipeline with larger-diameter pipes in some places and run secondary pipelines (called looping) alongside existing pipes in others. Project Beacon also involves expanding some compressor stations along the route, and could include new gas storage facilities. A day after the project was officially announced, the Connecticut chapter of the radical Sierra Club launched a campaign to lie about and smear the project. Read More “CT Sierra Club Lies About Enbridge Project Beacon Cost, Pollution”
Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | M&A | NextEra Energy

NextEra Energy Buying Shale Investor Caliber Resource Partners
May 21, 2026May 21, 2026

NextEra Energy, headquartered in Juno Beach, Florida, is gobbling up companies left and right. Earlier this week, NextEra announced it is buying out and merging with a fellow utility giant, Dominion Energy (see NextEra Energy Buying, Merging with Dominion Energy for $66 Billion). That deal is largely about supplying data centers with power from gas-fired power plants. And now, according to sources whispering to Reuters, NextEra is buying out and merging with oil and gas investment firm Caliber Resource Partners for $1.3 billion. Read More “NextEra Energy Buying Shale Investor Caliber Resource Partners”
Enbridge | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pipelines

Enbridge Proposes Major Expansion of Algonquin Pipe: Project Beacon
May 20, 2026May 20, 2026

Last week, the news broke that Enbridge is exploring a major expansion of its Algonquin Gas Transmission pipeline into New England, and had briefed the Trump administration’s National Energy Dominance Council about its plans (see Enbridge Briefed Trump Admin on Plan to Expand Pipe into New England). Enbridge launched an open season on Monday for that expansion project. It’s called Project Beacon. Sound familiar? Sounds a lot like Project Maple. Read More “Enbridge Proposes Major Expansion of Algonquin Pipe: Project Beacon”
Duke Energy | Electrical Generation | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pipelines

Duke Energy’s Large-Scale Powergen Expansion Adding 14 GW by 2031
May 20, 2026May 20, 2026

Duke Energy, headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of the largest U.S. energy holding companies, serving 8.7 million electric customers and 1.8 million gas customers across six states. While the company dabbles in unreliable renewables like solar and wind, its bread-and-butter, go-to source for new electric power generation is natural gas, which it gets from the Marcellus/Utica. We’ve reported on many of Duke’s announced new gas-fired power plant projects (see our stories here). The company recently issued its first quarter 2026 report, which is a good opportunity for us to share a detailed list of the active gas-fired power plant and pipeline projects Duke is pursuing. Read More “Duke Energy’s Large-Scale Powergen Expansion Adding 14 GW by 2031”
Dominion Energy | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | LDCs | M&A | NextEra Energy | Pennsylvania | South Carolina | Virginia

M-U Projects Potentially Impacted by NextEra/Dominion Merger
May 19, 2026May 19, 2026

Yesterday, MDN brought you the big news that NextEra Energy and Dominion Energy will combine in an all-stock transaction, creating the world’s largest regulated electric utility business serving approximately 10 million customer accounts across Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina (see NextEra Energy Buying, Merging with Dominion Energy for $66 Billion). Now that the news itself has settled in, analysts are beginning to explore what it means for this constituency and that constituency. Whenever there’s a takeover with new management, existing (or planned) projects can change. We wondered, what’s the list of projects owned by Dominion and NextEra in the Marcellus/Utica region that may change when the two companies join? Read More “M-U Projects Potentially Impacted by NextEra/Dominion Merger”
Baker Hughes | Energy Services | Ohio | Pennsylvania | West Virginia

M-U Rigs Down 1 @ 36; Haynesville Down 2 @ 56; Nat’l Up 3 @ 551
May 18, 2026May 18, 2026

Last week, the combined Marcellus/Utica Baker Hughes rig count dropped by 1 rig in the PA Marcellus, leaving 36 active rigs across the three-state M-U region, down from 37 it had operated for 7 weeks in a row. The M-U’s chief competitor, the Haynesville, dropped 2 rigs to land at 56 active rigs, operating 20 more than the M-U. The national count added 3 rigs last week and now operates 551 rigs. That’s the fourth week in a row the national count has added rigs. Read More “M-U Rigs Down 1 @ 36; Haynesville Down 2 @ 56; Nat’l Up 3 @ 551”
Dominion Energy | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | LDCs | M&A | NextEra Energy

NextEra Energy Buying, Merging with Dominion Energy for $66 Billion
May 18, 2026May 18, 2026

This is HUGE and breaking news… NextEra Energy and Dominion Energy announced this morning that they will combine in an all-stock transaction, creating the world’s largest regulated electric utility business serving approximately 10 million customer accounts across Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The combined entity, operating under the NextEra Energy name, will be over 80% regulated and benefit from enhanced scale, efficiency, and diversified growth. How much is NextEra paying for Dominion? Read More “NextEra Energy Buying, Merging with Dominion Energy for $66 Billion”