Dominion Energy

CNG/LNG | Dominion Energy | Energy Services | Exporting | Industrywide Issues | Maryland | Regulation | Statewide MD

FERC Grants Cove Point LNG Permission to Begin Commercial Ops
March 6, 2018March 6, 2018

As MDN reported last Friday, the very first cargo of LNG (liquefied natural gas) left the Cove Point LNG export facility in Lusby, Maryland (see Cove Point Ships First LNG Cargo – But Not M-U Gas). However, as we accurately surmised, that first shipment did not contain Marcellus/Utica gas molecules, but instead the gas aboard was previously shipped in from Nigeria by Shell, used in the commissioning process to test the facility. Now that the commissioning process is complete, Dominion Energy, operator of the plant, requested (on Friday) a full-blown kiss of approval from FERC to begin real, commercial operations–chilling and liquefying Marcellus gas for export. On Monday, FERC granted its big, sloppy, wet kiss of approval. Cove Point is now up and running “for real”…
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CNG/LNG | Dominion Energy | Energy Services | Exporting | Industrywide Issues | Maryland | Statewide MD

Cove Point Ships First LNG Cargo – But Not M-U Gas
March 2, 2018March 5, 2018

Earlier this week MDN told you the ship that would carry the very first cargo of LNG from Cove Point LNG had docked (see Ships Line Up for Cove Point LNG – 1st Ship Docked). LNG tanker Gemmata, as we reported, docked earlier this week at the Cove Point terminal. We assumed (incorrectly) that it would carry Marcellus/Utica gas when it left…
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Dominion Energy | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | North Carolina | Pipelines | Regulation

NC Issues Permits for Atlantic Coast Pipe in Dribs and Drabs
March 1, 2018February 28, 2018

Although it’s been sloooooow in coming, the North Carolina Dept. of Environmental Quality is now issuing permits for ACP.
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CNG/LNG | Dominion Energy | Energy Services | Exporting | Industrywide Issues | Maryland | Statewide MD

Ships Line Up for Cove Point LNG – 1st Ship Docked
February 27, 2018February 27, 2018

The very first ship that will load and transport Marcellus LNG from Cove Point is now docked and waiting.
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Dominion Energy | Duke Energy | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pipelines | Regulation

Regulatory Delays Push Atlantic Coast Pipeline Costs 30% Higher
February 26, 2018February 26, 2018

Delays from regulatory agencies have caused Atlantic Coast Pipeline’s costs to skyrocket by as much as 30%…
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Dominion Energy | Energy Services | Equitrans/EQT Midstream | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Pipelines | Statewide WV | West Virginia

Unions in WV Hiring Workers as Pipeline Construction Begins
February 12, 2018February 12, 2018

Tree clearing for Dominion’s $5 billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) has already begun in West Virginia (see Atlantic Coast Pipeline Begins Cutting Trees in WV & VA (Not NC)). Construction for ACP in WV will begin this spring. Tree clearing for EQT’s $3.5 billion Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP), along with construction of access roads and construction yards, has not yet begun but soon will in WV (see Mountain Valley Pipe Gets FERC Approval to Begin WV Construction). What it all means is that a lot of workers will be needed in a hurry as construction gets underway. Enter trade unions. Union workers will perform the bulk of construction–everything from driving trucks to delivery of supplies (and people), to operating heavy equipment, to digging trenches, to welding–even cutting down the trees, an activity happening now. Unions in WV are currently recruiting new members who want a good-paying, hard-working jobs in the pipeline industry in the Mountain State…
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CNG/LNG | Dominion Energy | Energy Companies | Energy Services | Exporting | Industrywide Issues | Maryland | Shell | Statewide MD

Dominion Cove Point Begins Producing LNG – for Shell
February 1, 2018February 1, 2018

On Monday, Dominion Energy CEO Tom Farrell reported that the company’s Lusby, Maryland Cove Point LNG export facility will become operational and begin to export LNG in “early March” (see Dominion CEO Says Cove Point LNG Operational in “Early March”). Then yesterday, Dominion issued a press release to say Cove Point has now (as of this week) begun producing LNG! What gives? This “we’re now producing LNG” is part of the commissioning process which began back in December (see Dominion Cove Point LNG Export – Dress Rehearsal Begins). Feed gas is imported and used for testing purposes, and is the final step before the plant goes online into full production. The feed gas came from Shell (sourced from Nigeria), and Shell will take delivery of the LNG that results. When the initial commissioning is done, Marcellus/Utica gas will then begin flowing to the plant and the LNG produced will begin shipping (by “early March”) to Japan and India…
Read More “Dominion Cove Point Begins Producing LNG – for Shell”
Dominion Energy | Energy Services

Dominion Energy Gives Update on ACP, Greensville Plant & SCANA
January 31, 2018January 31, 2018

Dominion Energy, a huge company with fingers in many pies (gas and electric utility, electric generator, nuke plant owner, pipeline company, LNG exporter) issued its fourth quarter and full year 2017 update on Monday. Dominion’s top brass also held an earnings call with analysts. We reported yesterday that on the earnings call, Dominion CEO Tom Farrell said the Cove Point LNG export plant on the shore of Maryland will begin shipping LNG “in early March” (see Dominion CEO Says Cove Point LNG Operational in “Early March”). Farrell said getting the facility ready is “an enormously complicated process” and safety is front and center. While the Cove Point news was tops in importance for us, Dominion is working on other critically important projects for the Marcellus/Utica. Dominion is the company building the $5 billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline, a huge 1,588-megawatt gas-fired electric plant in Greensville County, VA, and they are in the process of (hopefully) buying South Carolina-based SCANA Corporation–the main electric and gas company for much of South Carolina. What about an update on all these other important projects? We have it for you below…
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CNG/LNG | Dominion Energy | Energy Services | Exporting | Industrywide Issues | Maryland | Statewide MD

Dominion CEO Says Cove Point LNG Operational in “Early March”
January 30, 2018January 29, 2018

Earlier this month MDN brought you news that Dominion’s Cove Point LNG export facility along the shore of Maryland has delayed its official start-up until perhaps as late as April (see Uh-Oh: Cove Point LNG Exports Possibly Delayed Until April). An expert analyst theorized the reason for the delay is to install two flaring systems at the plant (a safety precaution). We still don’t know the exact reason for the delay, but we now have confirmation direct from the top at Dominion, from CEO Tom Farrell, that Cove Point will become operational and begin to export in “early March.” On an analyst phone call yesterday to discuss Dominion’s fourth quarter and full year 2017 results, Farrell had this to say about Cove Point…
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Dominion Energy | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | North Carolina | Pipelines | Regulation

After Months of Delay, Atlantic Coast Pipe Gets NC Water Permit
January 29, 2018January 29, 2018

Atlantic Coast Pipeline path through North Carolina – click for larger version

On Friday, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) issued a federal stream/water crossing permit for Dominion’s $5 billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP)–a natural gas pipeline that will stretch from West Virginia through Virginia and slice through the midsection of North Carolina, almost to the border with South Carolina. The permit comes more than a year and a half after Dominion and their partners filed an application for it. It is the final “biggie” permit required to construct the project in NC. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved ACP last October (see FERC Approves Atlantic Coast, Mountain Valley Pipeline Projects). West Virginia previously issued a water crossing permit for the project, and Virginia recently granted a conditional approval for its water crossing permit. NC was the last domino to fall, and now it has. However, the project is still not out of the woods in NC just yet. First, the DEQ attached all sorts of extra requirements to the water permit they issued. Second, even though a water/stream crossing permit is the biggest and most important permit, NC continues to delay the project by withholding other permits (see NC Continues to Delay Atlantic Coast Pipe, Rejects Part of Erosion Plan). Friday’s water permit issuance was, however, a very positive development–a signal that the rest of the permits although delayed, will be forthcoming. Dominion said it will begin construction in NC (and VA and WV) this year, and finish the project sometime in 2019…
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Dominion Energy | Duke Energy | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Litigation | Pipelines | Regulation | Statewide VA | Virginia

Big Green Files Lawsuit Against VA Regulators for Approving Pipe
January 24, 2018January 24, 2018

In December members of Virginia’s Water Control Board voted 4-3 to approve issuing a water permit/certification for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) project (see Atlantic Coast Pipeline Delayed in Virginia by Water Board Vote). ACP is a $5 billion natural gas pipeline project from West Virginia through Virginia and into North Carolina being built by Dominion Energy and Duke Energy. The Water Board’s approval was conditional, the condition being that approval “is dependent on a final review of several environmental studies.” Those studies won’t be done until March or April of this year, meaning in all likelihood the project will be delayed. You would think Big Green groups would have rejoiced at the Water Control Board’s decision, effectively delaying the project. But they didn’t. Instead, a coalition of groups filed a lawsuit late last week against the Water Control Board–for doing their jobs. The groups claim the Water Control Board and the Virginia Dept. of Environmental Quality (DEQ) have not done a good enough job of protecting Virginia’s water resources with respect to the ACP project…
Read More “Big Green Files Lawsuit Against VA Regulators for Approving Pipe”
Dominion Energy | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | North Carolina | Pipelines | Regulation | Statewide VA | Statewide WV | Virginia | West Virginia

Atlantic Coast Pipeline Begins Cutting Trees in WV & VA (Not NC)
January 23, 2018January 23, 2018

In December MDN told you that Dominion’s $5 billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) project had asked permission from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to begin clearing trees along the path of the pipeline in all three states where the pipeline will run: West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina (see Atlantic Coast Pipe Asks FERC to Begin Tree Cutting in WV, VA, NC). FERC approved the project last October (see FERC Approves Atlantic Coast, Mountain Valley Pipeline Projects). However, two of the three states–Virginia and North Carolina–have not yet given final water crossing permits for the project (see Atlantic Coast Pipeline Delayed in Virginia by Water Board Vote and NC Plays “Death by a Thousand Questions” with Atlantic Coast Pipe). Lack of water crossing permits isn’t stopping ACP, nor FERC. Last Friday FERC granted ACP permission to begin felling trees, and the chainsaws have been busy over the weekend–at least in WV and VA (not yet in NC). The clock is ticking. Because of cockamamie Obama regulations, clearcutting of trees along the path for a pipeline (or roadway, or whatever) is banned from April 1st through October 31st, in an effort to protect the “endangered” northern long-eared bat (see Marcellus/Utica Drillers Ask for Special Permit to Kill Some Bats). ACP will be busy between now and March 31st cutting down trees to prepare for laying pipe…
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CNG/LNG | Dominion Energy | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Maryland | Processing Plants | Statewide MD

Although Cove Point LNG Not Yet Operational, Gas Flowing to Plant
January 22, 2018January 22, 2018

Last week MDN brought you news that Dominion’s Cove Point LNG export facility along the shore of Maryland has delayed its official start-up until perhaps as late as April (see Uh-Oh: Cove Point LNG Exports Possibly Delayed Until April). An expert analyst theorized the reason for the delay is to install two flaring systems at the plant (a safety precaution). So if the plant is not yet started up for commercial operations, why is gas still flowing to the facility? Other experts, at BTU Analytics, have been watching pipeline flow data and maintain the Cove Point facility has been receiving a steady flow of Marcellus gas since last September! No doubt some of the gas flowing to Cove Point is used for testing the equipment. But how can gas continuously flow to the plant if it’s not yet being liquefied and shipped out? We suspect some of the gas can be stored. As for the rest? We don’t know. What we do know, based on a post by BTU Analytics, is that even though Cove Point isn’t receiving the volumes it eventually will receive (3.5 billion cubic feet per day once it is fully up and running), Cove Point is getting a smaller, steady flow now–and (the point of this post), that smaller, steady flow is an important new market for Marcellus gas…
Read More “Although Cove Point LNG Not Yet Operational, Gas Flowing to Plant”
Dominion Energy | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | North Carolina | Pipelines | Regulation

NC Continues to Delay Atlantic Coast Pipe, Rejects Part of Erosion Plan
January 19, 2018January 19, 2018

North Carolina has a Democrat governor. The state Dept. of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is an executive branch agency. So it’s no surprise to learn that the DEQ is antagonistic toward Dominion Energy’s $5 billion, 594-mile Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP)–a natural gas pipeline that will stretch from West Virginia through Virginia and into North Carolina. In October the DEQ rejected a plan submitted by Dominion for the pipeline project, claiming the erosion and sediment control part of the plan is not up to snuff (see NC DEQ Rejects Plan for Atlantic Coast Pipeline – What’s Next?). What’s happened since that time? Dominion resubmitted the plan, and in early January DEQ approved part of the erosion/sediment control plan (for the southern part of the project) but rejected the other part (for the northern part of the project). As we previously pointed out, DEQ is currently playing death by 1,000 questions with Dominion, trying to tie the project up in knots (see NC Plays “Death by a Thousand Questions” with Atlantic Coast Pipe). DEQ’s poor behavior continues. Here’s an update on where things stand, and what Dominion will need to do to get ACP approved in the Tar Heel State…
Read More “NC Continues to Delay Atlantic Coast Pipe, Rejects Part of Erosion Plan”
Dominion Energy | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Regulation | Statewide OH | Statewide PA

Dominion Files FERC Request to Expand Pipeline from PA to OH
January 12, 2018January 12, 2018

On Wednesday, Dominion Energy filed a request with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to expand capacity along the existing Dominion Energy Transmission Inc. (DETI) pipeline from Pennsylvania to Ohio. Why? To flow more gas that will be used to generate electricity for the Midwest market. The project, called the Sweden Valley Project, is projected to cost $48 million and add another 120 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) of PA Marcellus Shale gas to the existing flow along DETI. Dominion says all 120 MMcf/d are already contracted and spoken for–by an unnamed customer. Notice the headline says “expand” and not “extend.” This project would build a tiny three miles of new pipeline, with the new pipeline lying next to existing pipeline (in Greene County, PA). The only greenfield construction is building a 1.75-mile pipeline to connect with the Tennessee Gas Pipeline in Tuscarawas County, OH. The other main part of the project is updating three units a compressor station in Licking County, OH. In the constellation of pipeline projects that disturb earth and disrupt landowners, this one is pretty minor–yet it will deliver big results by flowing an extra 120 MMcf/d of gas west to a new market…
Read More “Dominion Files FERC Request to Expand Pipeline from PA to OH”
CNG/LNG | Dominion Energy | Energy Services | Exporting | Industrywide Issues | Maryland | Statewide MD

Uh-Oh: Cove Point LNG Exports Possibly Delayed Until April
January 11, 2018January 11, 2018

We’ve been waiting, with bated breath, for an announcement from Dominion Energy that their $4 billion LNG export terminal is finally (finally!) up and running and shipping out condensed Marcellus/Utica Shale gas as LNG, heading to Japan and India. In April of last year, Dominion said the plant would be up and running, shipping LNG to India beginning this month (see Dominion Cove Point to Begin LNG Exports to India in Jan 2018). Dominion began priming the pump with an initial load of feed gas in early December (see Dominion Cove Point LNG Export – Dress Rehearsal Begins). But by the end of the month, Dominion signaled a full startup at the facility may be delayed, until an unspecified “early next year” (see Dominion Signals Delay in Cove Point Start-up; Contract Related?). In a blockbuster story, NGI’s Daily Gas Price Index is reporting (based on a super secret source who talked to Bloomberg) that commercial startup of the Cove Point facility will now not happen until (gasp), April of this year. Why the delay? NGI spoke to their own experts who have a plausible theory…
Read More “Uh-Oh: Cove Point LNG Exports Possibly Delayed Until April”