CNG/LNG

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    Cove Point Protesters Disrupt Monday Night Football Game on TV

    Cove Point Protesters2The crazies have done it again. Did you happen to watch Monday Night Football this past Monday? It was the Indianapolis Colts playing the Carolina Panthers at the Bank of America stadium in Charlotte, NC. During the game, protesters of the Dominion Cove Point LNG plant “dramatically” rappelled from an upper deck and unfurled a banner that said “BoA: Dump Dominion”. Note that the teams are from North Carolina and Indiana, nothing to do with Maryland where the Cove Point plant is. The only tie-in is the stadium is named after Bank of America and BoA has some financial/commercial connection to Dominion. In fact, 99.9% of the people in the stadium or watching by television didn’t even know what was meant by the banner! The protesters not only endangered themselves, they endangered the people underneath them. What if the protesters had fallen? No, we’re not concerned for the nutjobs if they had Darwined themselves and dropped like a rock. We’re concerned about the people underneath them. What if the banner had fallen on people? What if a shoe had flown off one of these nutters and hit a baby on the head? The protesters finally came down and were promptly arrested for their crime…
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    Dominion 3Q15: Progress on Atlantic Coast Pipeline, Cove Point LNG

    progressYesterday Dominion, a huge utility/pipeline company operating in 13 states and organized into multiple corporations, released their third quarter 2015 update. Frankly, the official press release was pretty boring and short–concentrating on the financials. Our chief interest is on the operations side–tell us about the projects under way. So we went trolling through a transcript of yesterday’s investors conference call and sure enough, came up with gold. Tom Farrell, CEO of Dominion, had quite a bit to say in his prepared remarks about the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, the Cove Point LNG export plant, and even about “farmouts” of Utica acreage. Farrell said that surveying is 85% complete for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, and engineering is 75% complete with some contracts for pipe already awarded. Farrell said that overall, the Cove Point project is now 47% done and there are 1,300 workers on site now. Exciting! But what’s this business about farmouts?…
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    Florida Co. Building Big CNG “Mother Station” in Marcellus Region

    virtual pipelineA harbinger of things to come? Just two days ago MDN reported on an upstate New York paper mill that converted to using natural gas to operate the mill and decided to stick with trucked compressed natural gas (CNG), something called a “virtual pipeline,” instead of going through the hassles of building a permanent pipeline (see NY Paper Plant Opts for “Virtual” NatGas Pipeline Over Real One). On the heels of that announcement we have a second virtual pipeline announcement. A company based in Florida called Pentagon Energy announces they’ve just scored their first contract–in the Marcellus Shale–to build a CNG “Mother Station” (think central hub) that will truck 2.5 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of CNG per month to customers throughout the northeast. It is another virtual pipeline to customers not served by a real pipeline. We find this an exciting development with the power to mute some protests over pipelines. So who is Pentagon Energy and who is their first, big customer?…
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    Global LNG Demand is Going Down – What Does it Mean for the U.S.?

    if you build it will they comeMDN editor Jim Willis still remembers the thunderclap of understanding he experienced while attending the Platts Global Energy Outlook Forum in New York City in December of 2013 (see Energy Industry Leaders Gather at Platts Forum in NYC). As we wrote at the time: “The one thing Jim learned (honest admission) is how much he doesn’t know about the wider energy industry. We who toil away in the shale gas and oil industry are, according to those at the Forum, a bit myopic. I think that’s probably true. Our heads are down and we’re fighting crazies every day and forget to look up and take stock of how our piece of the energy puzzle fits with the rest of the puzzle. The Forum helped provide some of that perspective for Jim.” In many ways that statement remains true–that the oil and gas industry is working hard and treading water and doesn’t stop to consider the global interconnection between not only oil and gas, but all energy sources. We can produce lots of gas in the U.S., but where and how will it get used? With all due respect to the great actor Kevin Costner, if you build it, they don’t necessarily come! As in, if we continue to pump out enormous quantities of natural gas and think that exports will save the day–that other countries will soak up our extra capacity–well, it’s a nice thought, but not necessarily true. Case in point: Platts is out with a sobering assessment of LNG going to Japan and Korea (and even China)–and the picture is not pretty for exporters here in the U.S….
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    NY Paper Plant Opts for “Virtual” NatGas Pipeline Over Real One

    virtual pipelineLast year International Paper’s Ticonderoga mill in northern New York, near the Vermont border, received $1.75 million in grant money from Andrew Cuomo and New York State (that is to say, from we the taxpayers) to help with an $11 million project to convert the plant from using oil to using natural gas (see the Albany Times Union story: $100M in upgrades at International Paper mill in Ticonderoga follows state deal for aid, cheap power). Kind of ironic that Andy was willing to give big money to an evil corporation to use more natural gas because he banned the extraction of fracked natural gas in NY later that same year. However, the plant was threatening to close. It’s the biggest employer in the area representing 600 jobs. Because of Cuomo’s $1.75M grant, the plant stayed open and converted to natgas, but that means it needs a lot of natgas on a regular basis. International Paper had planned to build a pipeline from Vermont to feed the plant as a permanent solution. In the meantime, it was using a “virtual pipeline” of a constant stream of trucks delivering compressed natural gas (CNG) from NG Advantage (subsidiary of Clean Energy Fuels Corp.), trucking CNG to the plant 24/7. International liked the CNG operation so much, and disliked the regulatory hassles of building the pipeline so much, they’ve decided to keep the virtual pipeline over a real one as a permanent solution…
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    What’s Next for NY/NJ Port Ambrose Floating LNG Terminal?

    who caresTwo days ago MDN told you that the U.S. Coast Guard has approved of a project off the coast of New York and New Jersey that would import natural gas from Trinidad (see Coast Guard Approves Port Ambrose LNG Import Terminal Near NYC/NJ). The USCG’s approval is an important step–but not the only step before Liberty Natural Gas begins construction of the Port Ambrose floating LNG facility. The project must be approved by the United States Maritime Administration too. And, either governor, NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo or NJ Gov. Chris Christie, can veto the project and prevent it–a lot of power for a governor to wield. We’re not all that excited about the Port Ambrose project ourselves–we think it’s not necessary with all of the gas we have in the Marcellus/Utica. We also don’t like how Liberty bashes “fracked gas” like the molecules in Marcellus gas are somehow different from natural gas imported from Trinidad. That’s just a marketing ploy. What’s really hilarious is how anti-fossil fuelers are reacting. Once again, as they did with the fracking issue, antis are stalking Gov. Cuomo at public events to pressure him to veto this project. A group of made complete asses of themselves Wednesday night by dressing up in Revolutionary War-era costumes and singing environmental versions of songs from the musical “Hamilton” that Cuomo attended. Will Cuomo cave to these nutjobs yet again as he did with fracking? Will Liberty get to build their off-shore import terminal? Do we even care?…
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    Coast Guard Approves Port Ambrose LNG Import Terminal Near NYC/NJ

    stamp of approvalThis is interesting! For some time MDN has tracked the Port Ambrose floating LNG terminal proposed by Liberty Natural Gas that would sit about 20 miles off the coast of New York and 29 miles off the coast of New Jersey, a plan Liberty created back in 2010, before the Marcellus Shale revolution really began to rock and roll. Liberty plans to import natural gas from Trinidad to sell into the northeast. In fact, Liberty took to slamming “fracked” gas from the Marcellus, saying imported gas is better for the U.S. of A. (see Liberty Says “Non-Fracked” Trinidad Gas Better than Marcellus Gas). They certainly haven’t won any friends here at MDN with those kinds of statements. Just last week we told you that anti-drillers had turned the argument around and are now arguing the facility isn’t needed because there’s–yes–so much fracked Marcellus gas! The very thing they hate (see Antis Continue Campaign Against Off-Shore LNG Terminal Near NY/NJ). Breaking news: The United States Maritime Administration and U.S. Coast Guard have just issued a 4,242 page final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Port Ambrose Project. In it they confirm that “the project is needed, the location is safe, and the impacts to the environment are minimal.” That is, the feds have just given the project a green light, which won’t sit well with global warming alarmists…
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    CLNG Releases Report Bashing Coal in Effort to Promote LNG Exports

    stone in glass houseThe Center for Liquefied Natural Gas (CLNG) released a new report earlier this week that purportedly shows the global environmental benefits of exporting LNG. The Pace Global-authored report, titled “LNG and Coal Life Cycle Assessment of Greenhouse Gas Emissions” (full copy below) found greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from coal-generated electrical power to be 92 percent to 194 percent higher than from power generated from U.S.-produced LNG in five key international markets. Yes, CLNG is targeting another fossil fuel, coal, to justify itself–which is not a healthy thing in our opinion. Everyone (except Cornell professors Robert Haworth and Tony Ingraffea) knows that natural gas burns cleaner and is better for the environment than coal. But coal has its place and is an important energy source. At MDN we don’t throw stones in our fossil fuel glass house. CLNG has decided to capitalize on the mass-hysteria surrounding global warming (a condition that doesn’t actually exist) to try and make a case for more LNG exports. A poor strategy–but it’s one CLNG is pursuing, so we’re bringing you their announcement along with a full copy of the report that concludes exporting more LNG from the U.S. is good for Mother Earth…
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    Antis Continue Campaign Against Off-Shore LNG Terminal Near NY/NJ

    shoot yourself in the footA story we first brought you back in March continues to play out. Liberty Natural Gas filed a plan back in 2010, prior to the Marcellus Shale revolution, to construct an off-shore LNG import (not export) facility off the coast of New York and New Jersey–in the ocean. A floating LNG facility called the Port Ambrose project. A pipeline would run from the off-shore terminal to Jones Beach, NY and from there would connect to a Transco pipeline lateral. Anti-fossil fuelers who hate and oppose all fracking (indeed all fossil fuel use) are also opposed to this project. So what did Liberty Natural Gas do? They tried to convince the antis that importing gas from Trinidad is better than using nasty, evil, vile “fracked” gas (see Liberty Says “Non-Fracked” Trinidad Gas Better than Marcellus Gas). Antis aren’t falling for it. In fact, in something of a funny reversal, antis are now using the argument that since we have so much fracked gas in the country (the very thing they irrationally hate), there isn’t a need for the Port Ambrose terminal. You know, this is the one time we’re in agreement with them!…
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    Obama Admin $730K Grant to Convert Tugboat from Diesel to ?

    tugboatGet this: The Obama administration has made a $730,000 grant to the Pittsburgh Region Clean Cities (PRCC) organization to study how to convert boats to operate more efficiently and pollute the environment less. Most boats today burn a nasty, filthy, rotten fossil fuel called diesel. Belches out all sorts of “pollutants” including carbon dioxide. Obamadroids want to clean up Mother Earth and need to figure out ways to do it. But sticking a windmill or a solar panel on a boat doesn’t work very well (Obama’s already tried it). So for the administration that’s given us the Clean Power Plan that tries to eliminate both coal and natural gas, we have a grant to convert a tugboat from burning diesel to…burning natural gas. Yep. Even Obamadroids have to admit you can power boats with solar and wind–so they’ve given $730,000 to the PRCC to run an experiment in converting a tugboat burning diesel into burning clean, abundant and cheap natural gas. Perhaps the smartest thing Obama has ever done!…
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    FERC Approves Columbia Project Connecting NE Gas to La. LNG Export

    approvedSeems like just about every pipeline project out there is, in one way or the other, connected to the Marcellus/Utica Shale and moving northeast shale gas to other markets. Example: Yesterday Columbia Pipeline Group announced they have received Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approval to proceed with the Cameron Access Project in Southwest Louisiana. The $310 million project includes improvements to Columbia Gulf’s existing pipeline system, as well as ancillary facilities, a new compressor station near Lake Arthur, Louisiana, and the installation of an approximately 26 mile greenfield pipeline lateral in Cameron Parish that provides direct access to the Cameron LNG export facility. The purpose of the project? It “further connects abundant, but constrained, Appalachian supplies to higher value markets.” In other words, Columbia will offer a new export market for Marcellus/Utica gas via the Cameron LNG export terminal. The project is due to begin construction in the spring of 2016 and be placed in service during the first quarter of 2018…
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    Wood Mackenzie: “Raft” of Planned LNG Projects Won’t Get Built

    postponedGlobal research firm Wood Mackenzie recently published a brief analysis of LNG export facilities asking the question, Where are all the LNG project postponements? According to Wood researchers, the outlook for global LNG demand is looking increasingly subdued–particularly in China. The number of LNG projects proposed to make a Final Investment Decision (FID) in 2015 and 2016 has not reduced significantly. If all or close to all of the projects on the books make a FID to move forward, there would be an unsustainable glut of new LNG supplies–without a corresponding amount of demand around the globe. Wood Mackenzie’s conclusion? Companies will soon wake up to the fact that there won’t be enough demand and we will see “a raft of project postponements” in the next 6-18 months…
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    3rd Eastern Canada LNG Export Plant Receives Approval

    approvedIn February MDN told you that Spanish oil giant Repsol was accelerating plans to build an LNG export terminal on the coast of Saint John, Newfoundland (see Repsol Accelerates Plan for Canadian LNG Exports Fed by Marcellus). The Canaport LNG project, as it’s called, is one of five potential projects we identified in eastern Canada back in August 2014 that will potentially export Marcellus/Utica gas (see List of LNG Export Projects for Marcellus/Utica Shale Gas). Two of the five projects–Bear Head LNG and Goldboro LNG, both located in Nova Scotia–were approved by the Canadian National Energy Board (CNEB) in August (see 2 Marcellus LNG Export Projects Get Canadian Approval). Good news: The Canaport LNG project has now also been approved by the CNEB…
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    Marcellus/Utica Gas Heading to TX LNG Export Plant…in 2018

    Corpus Christi LNG Export PlantYesterday Kinder Morgan announced Cheniere Energy’s Corpus Christi LNG export facility on the coast of Texas has signed up to receive 385,000 dekatherms per day (i.e. 385 million cubic feet per day) of “southbound” natural gas from Kinder’s Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America (NGPL) expanded Gulf Coast mainline system for a 20-year term. There’s a lot to unpack in that statement, including the fact that the “southbound” natural gas will come from the Marcellus/Utica…
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    New England Importer Received 59% of All LNG Ship Imports 1H15

    self interestBoth Kinder Morgan and Spectra Energy are in a tough fight to build pipelines from the Marcellus into New England. One of the competing visions for how to get more natural gas to residents, businesses and electric generating plants that so desperately need natural gas is to import it through the Everett, MA LNG import terminal. That’s where GDF Suez, the American name for the French multinational electric utility company Engie, imports natural gas. We told you about GDF Suez’s self interested last year (see Guess Why GDF Suez Doesn’t Want Marcellus Pipeline to New England). We also brought you their self-serving “study” published in August that says New England doesn’t need more pipeline capacity (see LNG Importer Publishes Sham Report Slamming New England Pipelines). We now have more proof of what’s motivating GDF Suez to oppose pipelines. In the first half of 2015, 17 massive LNG cargo ships imported natural gas to ports in the United States. Some 10 of the 17 shipments came to GDF Suez’s import terminal in Massachusetts–59% of all imports. No wonder the company is fighting to continue importing natural gas from other countries rather than use home-grown, cheaper shale gas…
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    CNG Customers Gather to Celebrate Grand Opening in…

    CNGEarlier this week a $2.85 million compressed natural gas (CNG) filling station was opened with a large crowd of people eager to begin using it. Nexus Natural Gas, a consortium of seven different companies, unveiled their first collaborative CNG fueling station aimed at cars, trucks, tractor-trailers and buses. The state got involved with a $570,000 grant–recognizing the benefits of using natural gas as a transportation fuel (burns cleaner, natural gas is a home-grown fuel). Local utility/pipeline companies are involved too–to deliver cheap, abundant and clean-burning Marcellus Shale gas to the new fueling station. What’s that? Where’s this new CNG fueling station located–where crowds of natgas lovers congregated to celebrate? Would you believe, in New York State!…
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