Accidents 12 - Marcellus Drilling News

CNX Faulty Utica Well in SWPA Will Cost Company $30M+

February 21, 2019February 21, 2019

CNX was fracking their Shaw 1G Utica well in Washington Township (Westmoreland County) on Saturday, Jan. 26, when they detected “a strong drop in pressure” and stopped fracking (see CNX Hits Major Problem Fracking Utica Well Near SWPA Reservoir). Turns out the well was “communicating” (i.e. losing gas to) several nearby conventional wells.
Read More “CNX Faulty Utica Well in SWPA Will Cost Company $30M+”

CNX Says Well Casing Issue, Not Fracking, Caused Rogue Utica Well

February 11, 2019February 11, 2019

CNX Resources say they think they know why a Utica well they were fracking in Westmoreland County, PA suddenly lost pressure as they were fracking it–with gas escaping into nearby conventional wells.
Read More “CNX Says Well Casing Issue, Not Fracking, Caused Rogue Utica Well”

ODNR Shakes Down XTO Energy $425K for First Responders

February 11, 2019February 11, 2019

The Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR) is doing a happy dance that they’ve shaken down XTO Energy $425,000 to settle a violation by XTO for drilling a shale well in Belmont County a year ago that exploded and caught fire.
Read More “ODNR Shakes Down XTO Energy $425K for First Responders”

CNX Rogue Utica Well in SWPA Affects 9 Vertical Wells, Maybe More

February 5, 2019February 5, 2019

CNX was fracking their Shaw 1G Utica well in Washington Township on Saturday, Jan. 26, when they detected “a strong drop in pressure” and stopped fracking (see CNX Hits Major Problem Fracking Utica Well Near SWPA Reservoir). Turns out the well was “communicating” (i.e. losing gas to) several nearby conventional wells.
Read More “CNX Rogue Utica Well in SWPA Affects 9 Vertical Wells, Maybe More”

CNX Hits Major Problem Fracking Utica Well Near SWPA Reservoir

February 4, 2019February 4, 2019

When people communicate, that’s a good thing. When a shale well “communicates” with nearby conventional wells, that’s a bad thing. And that’s what happened with a CNX Resources Utica well being fracked in Westmoreland County last week.
Read More “CNX Hits Major Problem Fracking Utica Well Near SWPA Reservoir”

Accidents | Industrywide Issues | Michigan | Pipelines | Statewide MI

MI NatGas Compressor Stn Fire Leads to GM, Ford Plant Closures

February 4, 2019February 4, 2019

Last week a pipeline at a single Michigan compressor station caught fire and exploded (see Michigan NatGas Compressor Station Catches Fire, Explodes). That single compressor (single point of failure, as it turns out) is responsible for pumping natgas to two-thirds of Michigan residents, including all those big automobile assembly plants Michigan is famous for.
Read More “MI NatGas Compressor Stn Fire Leads to GM, Ford Plant Closures”

Accidents | Industrywide Issues | Michigan | Pipelines | Statewide MI

Michigan NatGas Compressor Station Catches Fire, Explodes

January 31, 2019January 31, 2019

Credit: Detroit News (click for larger version)

A pipeline compressor station for Consumers Energy (Michigan utility company) experienced an explosion and fire yesterday morning. The facility is located in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan in Macomb County.
Read More “Michigan NatGas Compressor Station Catches Fire, Explodes”

Enbridge Trying to Restore 1 Bcf/d on Exploded Tetco in Ohio

January 28, 2019January 28, 2019

A 30-inch segment of Enbridge’s Texas Eastern Transmission Company (Tetco) interstate natural gas pipeline exploded one week ago today, sending two people to the hospital and destroying two nearby homes when fires from the blast spread (see Texas Eastern Pipeline Explodes in Noble County, OH – Injuries). Enbridge is hoping to restore partial service along the line early this week.
Read More “Enbridge Trying to Restore 1 Bcf/d on Exploded Tetco in Ohio”

Texas Eastern Pipe in Ohio Down Indefinitely Following Blast

January 24, 2019January 24, 2019

Some 2.31 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of Utica Shale natural gas had been flowing through the Berne Compressor Station in Noble County, OH. Some (most?) of that gas goes to the Gulf Coast. That is, did go to the Gulf Coast–until the Texas Eastern Pipeline (Tetco) exploded earlier this week. That 2.31 Bcf/d coming from Berne has dropped to 0 Bcf/d for the indefinite future.
Read More “Texas Eastern Pipe in Ohio Down Indefinitely Following Blast”

Texas Eastern Pipeline Explodes in Noble County, OH – Injuries

January 22, 2019January 23, 2019

Fires from Texas Eastern Pipeline explosion (click for larger version, credit: WTRF Channel 7)

A 30-inch segment of Enbridge’s Texas Eastern interstate natural gas pipeline in Noble County, OH exploded yesterday sending two people to the hospital and destroying two nearby homes. The pipeline was built in the early 1950s and was last inspected in 2012.

NOTE: We’ve added a 1/23/19 update below on how this accident has affected gas flows in Ohio.
Read More “Texas Eastern Pipeline Explodes in Noble County, OH – Injuries”

SWPA Revolution Pipe Still Closed After Explosion; ET, DEP Argue

January 22, 2019January 22, 2019

Revolution Pipeline explosion – Sept. 2018

On Sept. 10, Energy Transfer’s 24-inch gathering pipeline in Beaver County, PA, called the Revolution Pipeline, caught fire and exploded during testing (see Revolution Pipeline Near Pittsburgh Explodes – Home & Barn Destroyed).
Read More “SWPA Revolution Pipe Still Closed After Explosion; ET, DEP Argue”

Range SWPA Production Takes Hit After MarkWest Plant Explosion

January 8, 2019January 8, 2019

Range Resources issued an updated 2018 (not 2019) capital spending and operational update yesterday to say (a) they spent about $20 million less last year than originally forecast and (b) the company took a hit on production because of an outage at the MarkWest Houston/Harmon Creek processing facilities.
Read More “Range SWPA Production Takes Hit After MarkWest Plant Explosion”

Accidents | Electrical Generation | Industrywide Issues | Lackawanna County | Pennsylvania

NEPA Gas-Fired Plant Gets Noisy, Scares the Neighbors

January 2, 2019January 2, 2019

On Sunday, Dec. 23, residents living near the Lackawanna Energy Center (LEC) in Jessup, PA (near Scranton) woke to a loud noise that sounded like a jet engine–and the release of natural gas into the air.
Read More “NEPA Gas-Fired Plant Gets Noisy, Scares the Neighbors”

Sad Postscript: Man Dies of Injuries from MarkWest SWPA Explosion

December 20, 2018December 20, 2018

As we previously reported, an explosion and fire last week at the MarkWest Energy natural gas processing plant in Chartiers (Washington County), PA sent four people to the hospital–carried there by helicopter (see MarkWest Plant Explosion in Washington Co. Injures 4; 1 Critical). We are profoundly sad to report that the man who was in critical condition has died. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office reported that Jeffery Fisher, 61, of Salem, WV died at 3:38 p.m. Tuesday at UPMC Mercy hospital. Below is an update on the situation, with additional new details.
Read More “Sad Postscript: Man Dies of Injuries from MarkWest SWPA Explosion”

MarkWest Plant Explosion in Washington Co. Injures 4; 1 Critical

December 14, 2018December 14, 2018

An explosion and fire last night around 6 pm at the MarkWest Energy natural gas processing plant in Chartiers (Washington County), PA sent four people to the hospital–carried there by helicopter. All of them remain hospitalized, and one of them is, sadly, in critical condition. The explosion happened near “two temporary tanks that were onsite for routine maintenance,” according to a MarkWest statement. The tanks hold, “liquid ethylene glycol plus hydrocarbons”–used to clean incoming raw natural gas. The PA Dept. of Environmental Protection is on location today to determine what happened and why–and to ensure there have been no negative impacts to the environment.
Read More “MarkWest Plant Explosion in Washington Co. Injures 4; 1 Critical”

Sunoco Fined $225K for Small Leak on ME1 Pipeline in 2017

December 14, 2018December 14, 2018

The Mariner East 1 pipeline sprung a small leak and spilled 20 barrels (~840 gallons) of ethane and propane in Berks County, near Philadelphia, on April 1 (see Mariner East 1 Sprang a Small NGL Leak Near Philly, on Apr 1). Sunoco Logistics Partners (i.e. Energy Transfer), builder and maintainer of the pipeline, shut it down and fixed it over the next several days. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC), which oversees regulation of the pipeline, has just (a year and a half later) “requested” Sunoco pay $225,000 for violating various state and federal regulations. It was an $11,250 per barrel spill.
Read More “Sunoco Fined $225K for Small Leak on ME1 Pipeline in 2017”