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TC Energy Says Marcellus/Utica Drillers “Tapping the Brakes”

TC Energy (once upon a time called TransCanada Corporation) is a major pipeline company in North America. The company has a big presence in the Marcellus/Utica region via its Columbia Pipeline subsidiary. Last week TC Energy issued its fourth-quarter and full-year 2019 update and hosted a quarterly conference call with analysts. While the official update contains a mention about the company’s Buckeye XPress project (see TC Energy/Columbia Finally Get FERC Approval for Buckeye XPress), of primary interest for us were comments by TC management about Columbia’s M-U customers and what the company might do if drillers come knocking on the door in “financial distress.”
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FERC Favorable EA for Columbia Louisiana XPress, M-U Gas to Gulf

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has taken the first, very big and important step of approving an environmental assessment (EA) for TC Energy/Columbia Transmission’s Louisiana XPress Project. TC/Columbia filed an application with FERC last July for the project (see Columbia Asks FERC to OK Louisiana XPress, M-U Gas to Gulf). Yes, there’s a direct tie-in to the Marcellus/Utica…
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TC Energy/Columbia Finally Get FERC Approval for Buckeye XPress

Buckeye XPress (click for larger version)

Last May the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) finally, after a months-long delay, issued a favorable environmental assessment (EA) for the Buckeye XPress (BXP) pipeline project (see Buckeye XPress Pipe Project in OH, WV Gets Favorable FERC Review). In October, Columbia (i.e. TC Energy) tried to goose FERC into issuing a final approval to build the project. Last Thursday FERC finally granted that approval–once again after a months-long delay.
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Fed Court Rules Columbia has Right to Use OH Gas Storage Field

Medina, Ohio

In a phenomenally complex court case decided last July by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, Columbia Gas (TC Energy) won the right to continue storing natural gas in an underground storage field near Medina, Ohio. The landowners, who claim Columbia owes them (more) money for using the land under their property, appealed the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Supremes turned it down yesterday, meaning the Sixth Circuit ruling stands.
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Fed Judge Upholds Maryland Decision to Block Pipe Under Potomac

In May, Columbia Gas Transmission was forced to haul the State of Maryland into court over the state’s refusal to grant an easement to drill a tiny 3.5-mile pipeline under the Potomac River (see Columbia Gas Sues Maryland to Allow Pipeline Under Potomac). In June, Maryland’s anti-fossil fuel Attorney General, Brian Frosh, asked a federal court to dismiss the lawsuit (see Maryland Asks Fed Court to Dismiss Lawsuit Questioning Pipe Rejection). Yesterday a liberal judge with the U.S. District Court in Baltimore sided with Frosh, sadly.
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Marcellus/Utica Gas Heads to Gulf Coast to Feed LNG Export Beast

Marcellus/Utica gas hitches a ride to the Gulf Coast to feed several LNG export facilities. We previously outlined how some gas flows to Cheniere’s Sabine Pass LNG plant via Williams’ Transco system (see Williams Confirms Transco Now Ships Gas Directly to Cheniere LNG). We also told you about Utica gas reaching Sabine Pass via a connection from Rover Pipeline (see Some Rover Gas Flows All the Way to Gulf Coast LNG Export Plant). The experts at RBN Energy outline how M-U gas is flowing to the newly-minted Cameron LNG export facility (also in the Lake Charles area, near Sabine Pass) via the recently completed Mountaineer Xpress and Gulf Xpress pipeline expansions.
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UGI Completes Buyout of Columbia Midstream Gathering Systems

A month ago MDN told you that UGI, a big utility and midstream company headquartered in Pennsylvania, had cut a deal to buy certain pipeline assets in the Marcellus/Utica from Columbia Midstream (see TC Energy Sells Columbia Midstream M-U Assets to UGI for $1.28B). The deal is now done.
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Columbia Asks FERC to OK Louisiana XPress, M-U Gas to Gulf

Columbia Transmission is on a mission to flow more Marcellus/Utica gas south–all the way to the Gulf Coast in Louisiana. Earlier this week Columbia filed a new application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to build the Louisiana XPress Project, a project to beef up flows along the existing Columbia pipeline system by an additional 850 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) by adding and expanding several compressor stations in Louisiana. Most, if not all of the M-U gas that will flow through it, is heading to Cheniere Energy’s Sabine Pass LNG export facility in Lake Charles.
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TC Energy Sells Columbia Midstream M-U Assets to UGI for $1.28B

Exactly three years ago, TransCanada Corporation (now renamed TC Energy) completed a deal to buy out and merge in Columbia Pipeline Group for $10 billion (see TransCanada and Columbia Pipeline Tie the Knot Today). Columbia (now TC Energy) owns significant assets in the Marcellus/Utica region. Yesterday TC Energy announced it is selling some of those M-U assets to PA-based utility UGI for $1.275 billion.
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Maryland Asks Fed Court to Dismiss Lawsuit Questioning Pipe Rejection

A month ago Columbia Gas Transmission was forced to haul the State of Maryland into court over the state’s refusal to grant an easement to drill a tiny 3.5-mile pipeline under the Potomac River (see Columbia Gas Sues Maryland to Allow Pipeline Under Potomac). Earlier this week Maryland’s anti-fossil fuel Attorney General, Brian Frosh, asked the federal court to dismiss the lawsuit.
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Columbia Pipeline Shareholders Sue re 2016 Sale to TransCanada

TransCanada Corporation, which renamed itself TC Energy earlier this year, made a play for and bought out/merged in U.S.-based Columbia Pipeline Group in 2016 (see TransCanada and Columbia Pipeline Tie the Knot Today). TransCanada paid $13 billion for Columbia, including assumption of $2.8 billion of debt. Columbia has major pipeline operations throughout the Marcellus/Utica region.
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Buckeye XPress Pipe Project in OH, WV Gets Favorable FERC Review

Buckeye XPress project map (click for larger version)

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) seems to have its own version of time. On February 28 this year, FERC promised to issue an environmental assessment (EA) for the Buckeye XPress (BXP) pipeline project no later than April 8 (see OH/WV Buckeye XPress Pipe Project Moves to Front of FERC Queue). Errr, right. FERC finally issued their EA (which was favorable, by the way), yesterday, on May 20. So in FERC-speak, April 8 actually means May 20. Got it?
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Columbia Gas Sues Maryland to Allow Pipeline Under Potomac

Expressing dismay at needing to do so, Columbia Gas Transmission has been forced to haul the State of Maryland into court over the state’s refusal to grant an easement to drill a tiny 3.5-mile pipeline under the Potomac River. In January, Maryland’s emasculated RINO governor, Larry Hogan, along with two other state officials (both Democrats) who sit on what is called the Maryland Board of Public Works, voted unanimously to deny an easement and permission to build the federally-approved pipeline (see Maryland Pulls a NY, Rejects Pipeline Under Potomac River).
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OH/WV Buckeye XPress Pipe Project Moves to Front of FERC Queue

click for larger version

In January 2017, TransCanada’s Columbia Pipeline subsidiary launched an open season for the Buckeye XPress (BXP) pipeline project (see Columbia Pipeline Launches Open Season for New M-U Project). BXP will expand service along the Columbia Gas Transmission pipeline from Ohio (and PA and WV) to send even more Marcellus/Utica gas to the Gulf via the interconnection at Leach, Kentucky.
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FERC Says Rest of Mountaineer XPress Pipeline OK to Start Up

On Friday TransCanada, owner of Columbia Gas Transmission, issued a press release to say the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has approved the startup of the remainder of the Mountaineer XPress pipeline project. Just last week we told you that FERC had approved more (but not the rest) of the project to go online (see FERC Says More of Mountaineer XPress Pipeline OK to Start Up).
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FERC Says More of Mountaineer XPress Pipeline OK to Start Up

In January the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) gave permission to TransCanada’s Columbia Pipeline group to start up a portion of the Mountaineer XPress Pipeline in West Virginia (see FERC OK’s Mountaineer XPress Pipe to Start Up in WV). Yesterday FERC gave Columbia permission to start up a wee bit more of the project.
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