Industrywide Issues

CNG/LNG | Industrywide Issues

Eagle LNG to Supply Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship with LNG at Jaxport
June 15, 2022June 15, 2022

In July 2018 Eagle LNG officially opened its Maxville, Florida (suburb of Jacksonville) liquefaction facility to first liquefy then transport LNG to Crowley’s new LNG bunkering facility at the Port of Jacksonville (Jaxport) where the LNG is used to fuel two Crowley LNG-powered ships designed to carry both containerized and roll-on/roll-off cargo (see Marc/Utica Gas Trucked to Jacksonville, FL for Use in LNG Ship). In August 2020 Eagle and Crowley celebrated the 100th “bunkering” event (see Eagle LNG Celebrates 100th LNG Bunkering at Port of Jacksonville). Eagle is signing up new customers for its bunkering service. Royal Caribbean has signed a deal for Eagle to “fill ‘er up” to service the cruising company’s first LNG-powered cruise vessel, Icon of the Seas.
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CNG/LNG | Exporting | Industrywide Issues

Snapshot of LNG in Europe – Who Imports, Where, Pipes that Flow It
June 15, 2022June 15, 2022

In years gone by arrogant Europeans turned their noses up to American “fracked” LNG (see France Blocks $7 Billion U.S. LNG Deal as “Too Dirty”). When Vladimir Putin launched his unprovoked war against Ukraine in February of this year, snobby European attitudes changed overnight (see US LNG Heading to Europe Spikes from 30% to 70% Last 2 Months). Now Europe can’t get enough of our “fracked” natural gas. Europe is a pretty big place. Which countries are we talking about? Who imports our LNG, and how does it get to them–especially if they are landlocked?
Read More “Snapshot of LNG in Europe – Who Imports, Where, Pipes that Flow It”
Industrywide Issues | Research

EIA DPR: M-U July NatGas Set to Increase More than Any Other Play
June 14, 2022July 19, 2022

click for larger version

Once again the number crunchers at the U.S. Energy Information Administration overestimated natural gas production in the Marcellus/Utica in the agency’s monthly Drilling Productivity Report (DPR). This is a pattern. Perhaps making such revisions is inevitable, but we find it disconcerting. Last month the EIA predicted total production in the Marcellus/Utica region (which they call Appalachia in the report) would be 35.67 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d). In the monthly DPR issued yesterday, EIA revised the June number down to 35.16 Bcf/d. Not a huge difference. It translates to 515 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) less in production–roughly 1/2 Bcf/d.
Read More “EIA DPR: M-U July NatGas Set to Increase More than Any Other Play”
Industrywide Issues | Landfills | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA

PA DEP Issues Final Guidance on Radioactive Waste from Shale
June 14, 2022June 14, 2022

Last weekend the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) published a notice in the weekly (Saturday) edition of the Pennsylvania Bulletin to announce final guidance (i.e. regulations) on handling radioactive waste going to solid waste processing and disposal facilities from unconventional shale gas drilling operations and other sources. Last year MDN told you about a plan by the Wolf administration to require quarterly testing at landfills that accept shale drill cuttings (see PA DEP to Require Radium Tests at Landfills Accepting Drill Cuttings). These new regs go WAY beyond that.
Read More “PA DEP Issues Final Guidance on Radioactive Waste from Shale”
Allegheny County | Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation

Allegheny County Bill to Ban Fracking Under Parks Going Nowhere
June 14, 2022June 14, 2022

Since 2013 anti-fossil fuel zealots–people with an irrational hatred of fossil fuels–have tried to ban drilling under (not on) public parks in Allegheny County, PA (near Pittsburgh). A small group of 100 radicals gathered outside the City-County building in downtown Pittsburgh last week to throw a collective temper tantrum, demanding Allegheny County Council ban any new drilling under county-owned parks (see Loudmouths Pressure Allegheny County to Ban Fracking UNDER Parks). According to comments by County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, a new bill to ban fracking under parks will have zero chance of being adopted since he will veto it and there isn’t a veto-proof majority on County Council to override his veto.
Read More “Allegheny County Bill to Ban Fracking Under Parks Going Nowhere”
Accidents | CNG/LNG | Exporting | Industrywide Issues

What Happened at Freeport LNG? How Soon Will it be Online Again?
June 14, 2022June 14, 2022

Last week MDN told you about the June 8th explosion and fire at Freeport LNG located near Galveston, the second-largest LNG export terminal in the U.S. (see Explosion Rocks Freeport LNG Export Plant – Offline for 3 Weeks). The managers of the plant said it would be offline for “at least three weeks.” Many are already theorizing it will be offline longer, given the alphabet soup of government agencies now investigating. So what happened? Why was there an explosion and fire? And how much longer might it really be offline?
Read More “What Happened at Freeport LNG? How Soon Will it be Online Again?”
Industrywide Issues | Regulation

American Petroleum Institute (API) Shakes Up Top Management
June 14, 2022June 14, 2022

We’ve made no secret of the fact we don’t think the American Petroleum Institute (API), which is controlled by its Big Oil members (like Chevron and ExxonMobil), serves the best interests of the shale oil and gas industry. A few weeks ago we scolded API for its support of an oil and gas-killing carbon tax (see API Advocates for Destruction of the O&G Industry via Carbon Tax). Last week the API announced four different changes in upper management at the organization. In the organization replaced its top two lawyers. Six changes in three months. That seems like a lot–perhaps it can be called a shakeup?
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CNG/LNG | Exporting | Industrywide Issues

Ukraine Deal to Import LNG from Quebec – Which Banned All O&G Wells
June 14, 2022June 14, 2022

We spotted news that the country of Ukraine, under attack by Russia, has cut a deal (a memorandum of understanding) with Canada’s Symbio Infrastructure to import LNG and green hydrogen. Symbio is building a 10.5 million mt/year LNG export facility in Quebec and will export the LNG and H2 from there. Wait just a minute…Quebec (the province) recently passed a new law outlawing all oil and natural gas production throughout the province (see Quebec Pulls Trigger & Commits Energy Suicide – Bans All O&G Prod.). So where, exactly, will Symbio get the gas it needs to liquefy and then float on ships out the St. Lawrence River to the Atlantic Ocean and over to Europe?
Read More “Ukraine Deal to Import LNG from Quebec – Which Banned All O&G Wells”
Industrywide Issues | Pipelines | Regulation

FERC’s Glick Caught in Lie re Pipe Orders from White House
June 14, 2022June 14, 2022

Last month MDN brought you the news that Joe Biden is renominating Richard “Dick” Glick to serve yet another undistinguished term at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (see Joe Biden Renominates Dick Glick for Another FERC Term). Glick, a Democrat and former wind lobbyist who is an extreme anti-pipeline radical, was first appointed under Donald Trump. Glick is currently the Chairman of the Commission. He needs all 50 Democrat Senators to vote in favor of reappointing him. There is a serious effort underway to convince Sen. Joe Manchin from West Virginia to vote against Glick, which would likely block his reappointment (see Tell Joe Manchin to Block Dick Glick for Another 5-Yr FERC Term). Here’s some more fuel for the fire to deny Glick another term: The Wall Street Journal is reporting Glick has held secret biweekly meetings at the White House for some time, indicating he receives marching orders from the Bidenistas on the kinds of policies they want implemented–including no new pipelines.
Read More “FERC’s Glick Caught in Lie re Pipe Orders from White House”
Chester County | CNG/LNG | Exporting | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Philadephia

U.S. East Coast’s 3rd LNG Export Plant Proposed Near Philadelphia
June 13, 2022June 14, 2022

Proposed site for Penn LNG, downriver from Philly (click for larger version)

Seemingly out of nowhere, a plan to build an LNG export facility on the banks of the Delaware River south of Philadelphia is being actively, seriously discussed. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Andrew Maykuth reports that Penn LNG, headed by a native of Philadelphia, has “quietly lined up support to build a $6.4 billion liquefied natural gas export terminal near Philly.” The favored site for the project is currently a functioning warehouse (once upon a time a Ford assembly plant) in Delaware County. However, the owner of the warehouse/site says it’s not for sale. That’s just one of the headwinds the project faces.
Read More “U.S. East Coast’s 3rd LNG Export Plant Proposed Near Philadelphia”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | ESG | Industrywide Issues | Regulation | Statewide WV | West Virginia

WV Threatens 6 Banks for Breaking State Anti-Fossil Fuel Law
June 13, 2022June 13, 2022

In March West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice signed into law a new bill requiring the entire state government–all of the various state agencies and governmental departments–to stop doing business with any bank or investment firm that refuses to support coal, oil, and natural gas companies (see WV Bill Targeting Anti-Fossil Fuel Banks, Investors Becomes Law). Last week WV State Treasurer Riley Moore sent a letter to six big banks alerting them they will be added to the state’s “blacklist” for violating policies by not investing or doing business with fossil fuel companies. Let the fun begin!
Read More “WV Threatens 6 Banks for Breaking State Anti-Fossil Fuel Law”
Clearfield County | Crime | Energy Companies | Energy Corporation of America | Greene County (PA) | Greylock Energy | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania

PA AG Shapiro Charges ECA/Greylock with Environmental Crimes
June 13, 2022June 13, 2022

In early 2018, the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) collected a whopping $1.7 million fine from Energy Corporation of America (ECA) for violations at 17 well sites in Cumberland, Jefferson, and Whiteley Townships in Greene County, and Goshen Township in Clearfield County (see Energy Corp of America Fined $1.7M for Drilling Violations in PA). ECA’s violations? “Failure to properly contains fluids in onsite pits, unauthorized discharge of industrial waste into groundwater, unauthorized disposal of residual waste, failure to restore the pits and well sites, and operating solid waste storage, treatment, and transfer facilities without permits.” Now, more than four years later, PA Attorney General Josh Shapiro (running for governor with a need to keep his radical base stoked) has indicted ECA and Greylock Energy (which purchased ECA’s assets in 2017) with so-called environmental crimes for the same long-resolved issue. Greylock “strongly disputes” the way Shapiro is characterizing the company and its role in this matter.
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Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Pipelines | Regulation | Transco | Williams

Williams to Expand Capacity on Transco Pipe by 423 MMcf/d in NC
June 13, 2022June 13, 2022

Transco & laterals

Here’s one that slipped by under the radar. Last month pipeline giant Williams filed an application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to beef up capacity along the mighty Transco pipeline by upgrading compressor stations and other infrastructure (no new pipeline) in order to flow an extra 423 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) to Piedmont Natural Gas and its customers located in eastern North Carolina. The Southside Reliability Enhancement Project, as it is called, is a partial replacement of volumes Piedmont had planned to purchase from Dominion Energy’s now-canceled Atlantic Coast Pipeline project.
Read More “Williams to Expand Capacity on Transco Pipe by 423 MMcf/d in NC”
Anti-Drilling/Fossil Fuel | Beaver County | Energy Companies | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Shell

Antis Go Plastics Hunting Near Shell Cracker Outfitted in…Plastics
June 13, 2022June 13, 2022

Captain Evan Clark, the Three Rivers Waterkeeper, takes a “nurdle patrol” crew out on the Ohio River, near Shell’s new ethane cracker plant. Photo: Julie Grant / The Allegheny Front

You really can’t make this stuff up. Anti-fossil fuelers aligned with Three Rivers Waterkeeper recently went on a boat trip on the Ohio River in Beaver County, PA, near where Shell is almost finished constructing a huge ethane cracker plant, to look for plastic “nurdles.” The small plastic pellets or beads are what the Shell cracker will make when it’s up and running. The antis want to establish a baseline for how many nurdles are found in the water now, before operations begin at the cracker plant, so they can visit later and test again to see if anything has spilled into the local waterway. We think it’s fair to say the antis are also anti-plastics, given their comments. So the pictures of the plastics hunters accompanying the article are quite hilarious. All of the plastics hunters are kitted out in jackets, hats, glasses, hip boots, etc. that are made from the very plastics they are hunting.
Read More “Antis Go Plastics Hunting Near Shell Cracker Outfitted in…Plastics”
Electrical Generation | Hydrogen | Industrywide Issues

Norway Claims World First Running Gas Turbine on 100% Hydrogen
June 13, 2022June 13, 2022

From left: Professor Mohsen Assadi, engineer Bjarte Hetlelid and doctoral fellow Reyhaneh Banihabib, with the world’s first gas turbine running on pure hydrogen as a combustion fuel UiS

Researchers at the University of Stavinger in Norway say they are the first in the world to run a gas-fired turbine on 100% hydrogen. The micro gas power plant produces heat, electricity, and hot water for hydronic heating. MDN previously told you about another world first when the gas-fired power plant (currently powered by Utica Shale gas) along the banks of the Ohio River in Hannibal (Monroe County), OH, successfully added a 5% mixture of hydrogen to the natural gas it burns (see Utica Gas Power Plant on Ohio River Uses Hydrogen in World First). The Long Ridge Energy Terminal is the first large, commercial operation to mix in hydrogen with natural gas to produce electricity.
Read More “Norway Claims World First Running Gas Turbine on 100% Hydrogen”
Beaver County | Economic Impact | Energy Companies | Ethane | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Processing Plants | Shell

Shell Cracker has Not Led to New Petchem Cos. Nearby – So Far
June 10, 2022June 10, 2022

One of the big promises of building a multi-billion dollar ethane cracker plant project is its ability to act like a magnet attracting other petrochemical and manufacturing plants to locate near it, using the outputs of the ethane cracker as their inputs. According to an article appearing in the Pittsburgh Business Times, the great promise of attracting more businesses to the southwestern PA region with the construction of the Shell cracker plant has not, so far at least, resulted in a big influx of new businesses.
Read More “Shell Cracker has Not Led to New Petchem Cos. Nearby – So Far”