MPR Building New Sand Storage Along Ohio River in Belmont County
Here’s a neat company we haven’t written about in 4 1/2 years: MPR Supply Chain. It’s a family-owned and operated riverfront transloading facility located in Bellaire, Ohio, at mile markers 92.5 and 93.7 on the Ohio River. MPR’s facility is a Gateway Distribution Point, located minutes from major north-south and east-west transportation routes and within 24 hours of two-thirds of the population of both the United States and Canada, including some of the largest material-consuming regions in the country. MPR moves a LOT of frac sand for the Marcellus/Utica industry through its facility, and has been for 10 years. MPR just broke ground on an expansion. Read More “MPR Building New Sand Storage Along Ohio River in Belmont County”
Kentucky has experienced rapid economic growth in recent years, similar to other southern states. Data centers are looking to Kentucky for future expansion. Last fall, Louisville Gas and Electric Company (LG&E) and Kentucky Utilities Company (KU), both part of PPL Corporation, forecasted in their Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) the need for additional power generation due to the expected influx of data centers and economic development across their service territories (see 
A new Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) Poll found that New Jersey voters support the construction of new natural gas power plants by a 3-to-1 margin (64% in favor), viewing them as a bridge solution to quickly lower energy prices until renewable options are ready (which will be never). Yes, in deeply blue N.J., both Republicans AND Democrats favor building more gas-fired power plants. The support is partisan, with Republicans overwhelmingly backing new construction (89%) compared to Democrats, who are less enthusiastic but still favor the plants (46% support vs. 33% oppose). 
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro oscillates between acting like an adult and a petulant child regarding rising electricity costs in his state, costs that are due in part to his own policies (see 
We’ve noticed something that, in our opinion, is very unusual. In reviewing the most recent NYMEX natural gas futures prices and comparing spot (physical) prices at various trading hubs in the northeast, we discovered that over the past week, the spot price in the Marcellus/Utica has risen by roughly $1.00 per MMBtu. Current spot prices in the M-U are now within 25 cents of the Henry Hub spot price, the “benchmark” for all natural gas prices nationwide. 
Ohio House Bill (HB) 170, which authorizes Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) by injecting captured CO2 into subsurface “pore space,” passed the Ohio House and has advanced to the Ohio Senate. The bill establishes a state regulatory framework, delegating to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) the authority to govern Class VI injection wells. This bill, if it becomes law (as seems likely), has significant implications for both drillers and landowners. 
Vallourec Star, a steel pipe manufacturer in Youngstown, OH, serving the shale and other industries, was approved yesterday by the Ohio Tax Credit Authority for a seven-year job creation tax credit. It means the company will create 40 new full-time positions. The tax credit supports Vallourec Star’s plan to expand its current operations to manufacture a new line of high-quality steel pipe. 
Diversified Energy (DEC) has achieved the Gold Standard Reporting certification, the highest level awarded by the UN’s Oil & Gas Methane Partnership 2.0 (OGMP 2.0). Diversified says this recognition validates the company’s commitment to significantly reducing methane emissions and providing transparent, measurement-based reporting, which the UN’s IMEO views as the industry standard. Given that the UN (United Nations) seeks to destroy fossil energy, we find it odd that the organization hands out awards to oil and gas companies. 
For over 30 years, the Henry Hub in Louisiana has served as the key anchor for natural gas pricing in the contiguous United States. Its role, however, has dramatically evolved over the last decade, primarily due to the rapid growth of U.S. LNG exports. Henry Hub has shifted from being a benchmark for U.S. natural gas to the primary index for global LNG cargo pricing. Consequently, the volume of physical gas exchanged at the hub is at its highest, and Henry Hub prices are now considered a premium compared to other domestic markets. 
Last week, the Baker Hughes U.S. national rig count added rigs for a second consecutive week, bringing the national count up by two to 550. Despite last week’s rig increase, the total count was still down 35 rigs, or 6% below this time last year. Rigs in the Marcellus/Utica remained the same last week at a combined 37 rigs, the same number for four weeks in a row. Pennsylvania remained unchanged at 17 active rigs. Ohio was the same at 13 rigs. And West Virginia maintained its 7 rigs, which it has operated since May 30. The Marcellus had 23 rigs and the Utica 14. 
EQT Corporation self-reported a wastewater spill at its Secretariat Well Site in Gilmore Township (Greene County), PA, on October 3. Multiple spots were found after the completions crew removed its containment apparatus from the pad. EQT immediately got to work remediating the site and has (so far) removed 340 barrels of wastewater (14,280 gallons) and 21.5 roll-off boxes of dirt. EQT reported the spill to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) as soon as it was observed on October 3. A DEP inspector finally showed up on October 10. 
The Trump administration wants to win the race for artificial intelligence (AI) with China. The administration is pulling out all the stops to ensure the U.S. is #1 in AI. That means building new data centers. Last Thursday, Secretary of the Department of Energy (DOE) Chris Wright took the unusual step of sending a directive to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), instructing the agency to initiate rulemaking procedures to rapidly accelerate the interconnection of large loads, including data centers. Wright even included his own proposed rule for FERC to adopt (spoon-fed). 
Two weeks ago, MDN brought you the rumor that President Trump was about to appoint newly confirmed Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Commissioner Laura Swett as the next Chairperson of the agency (see 