| | | | |

Maintenance Done: M-U Gas Flows Restart to Cove Point, Maryland

Feedgas flowing from the Marcellus/Utica to the Cove Point LNG export facility located on the shore of Maryland fell to zero on Friday, Sept. 20, as the facility began its planned annual maintenance outage (see Flows Drop to Zero @ Cove Point LNG, Closed for Annual Maintenance). Most years, maintenance at Cove Point takes around three weeks. True to form, Cove Point came back online and restarted liquefying gas last Saturday, Oct 12, so the plant was out exactly three weeks (from Friday, Sept. 20 to Friday, Oct. 11). Read More “Maintenance Done: M-U Gas Flows Restart to Cove Point, Maryland”

| | | | | | | |

Flows Drop to Zero @ Cove Point LNG, Closed for Annual Maintenance

Feedgas flows from the Marcellus/Utica to the Cove Point LNG export facility located on the shore of Maryland fell to zero last Friday, Sept. 20. It was the start of the facility’s annual maintenance outage. The question is, how long will Cove Point be out of commission for liquefying and exporting LNG? According to Reuters, maintenance forcing the facility offline will last “for about three weeks.” Each year, the plant closure is a moving target and a guessing game about how long it will remain offline. Every day counts! Read More “Flows Drop to Zero @ Cove Point LNG, Closed for Annual Maintenance”

| | | | | |

Cove Point LNG to Pay $60M per Year PILOT to Calvert County, MD

Cove Point LNG is an LNG export facility located in Lusby (Calvert County), Maryland. It is one of the most technically advanced and environmentally sensitive LNG facilities in the world. We recall as Dominion Energy was building the facility, environmental wackos uttered shrill warnings of habitat destruction coming for the Chesapeake Bay (where it’s located) should the facility go into production (see Green Groups Ask DC Judge to Stop Construction at Cove Point LNG). Nothing of the kind ever happened. The current owners of Cove Point, Berkshire Hathaway Energy (yes, that Berkshire, owned by Warren Buffett), just signed a deal paying Calvert County $60 million PER YEAR in lieu of property taxes, a “payment in lieu of taxes” or PILOT agreement. The local community and county commissioners could not be more delighted with the money and how Cove Point benefits the community. So much for all of the false claims by the wackos. Read More “Cove Point LNG to Pay $60M per Year PILOT to Calvert County, MD”

| | | | |

PJM Begs Talen to Delay Shutting Down O&G Power Plants in Maryland

On Wednesday, PJM Interconnection, the largest U.S. power grid operator, asked (more like begged) Talen Energy to delay retiring several fossil fuel-powered plants in Maryland by three years. Why? PJM is afraid of blackouts due to unreliable “renewables” like wind and solar. Talen notified PJM last October that it intends to retire three oil-burning units and one natural gas-burning power unit at its Herbert A. Wagner Generating Station outside of Baltimore by June 2025.
Read More “PJM Begs Talen to Delay Shutting Down O&G Power Plants in Maryland”

| | | | |

Chesapeake Utilities Files to Build $80M LNG Peaker in Maryland

Worcester Resiliency Upgrade project map (click for larger version)

According to Jeff Householder, CEO of Chesapeake Utilities Corporation (not to be confused with Chesapeake Energy), “Demand for natural gas continues to increase in our Delmarva service territories, where our customer additions are above national averages.” For those unfamiliar, Delmarva is the peninsula along the East Coast where the states of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia share borders. Chesapeake Utilities (a local utility company) operates a subsidiary called Eastern Shore Natural Gas Company. Eastern Shore recently filed a request with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to build an LNG storage facility in Bishopville, Maryland, called the Worcester Resiliency Upgrade project.
Read More “Chesapeake Utilities Files to Build $80M LNG Peaker in Maryland”

| | | | | | | |

Maryland Loses Fight to Block Tiny Pipe Under Potomac River

We finally have some good news to share concerning Columbia Gas’ project to build a tiny 3.37-mile, 8-inch pipeline under the Potomac River from Maryland to West Virginia. The project, called the Eastern Panhandle Expansion, has been blocked repeatedly by leftwing wackos in Maryland (see Fed Judge Upholds Maryland Decision to Block Pipe Under Potomac). Maryland used the same flawed legal argument that New Jersey used to block the PennEast Pipeline — that eminent domain can’t be used against land owned or controlled by a state. PennEast won its case against NJ in the U.S. Supreme Court in 2021 (see PennEast Pipeline Squeaks Out 5-4 Supreme Court Victory Over NJ). The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (4th Circuit) ruled on Wednesday, using the PennEast case as precedent, that Maryland could not claim immunity from eminent domain.
Read More “Maryland Loses Fight to Block Tiny Pipe Under Potomac River”

| | | | |

Gas Flows to Cove Point LNG Go to Zero, Shut Down for Maintenance

Feedgas flows from the Marcellus/Utica to the Cove Point LNG export facility located on the shore of Maryland fell to zero yesterday. It was the start of the facility’s annual maintenance outage. The question is, how long will Cove Point be out of commission for liquefying and exporting LNG? There are conflicting reports. Last year, the facility was closed from Oct. 1-27 — nearly a month! In most years, the closure lasts around three weeks (see our stories about previous years). This time around, Reuters is reporting Cove Point will be down just a week, from Sept. 21-29. We don’t think that’s quite accurate.
Read More “Gas Flows to Cove Point LNG Go to Zero, Shut Down for Maintenance”

| | | | | |

With Cove Point LNG Imports Ended, Owners Want Regs Changed

Cove Point LNG

Cove Point LNG exports roughly 1.8 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of Marcellus/Utica gas from the Maryland coast. The LNG export plant was conceived and built by Dominion Energy. However, Dominion has (stupidly) decided to divest from natural gas pipelines and other ventures and sold its ownership in Cove Point to Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Energy. Here’s one thing you may not have known… Cove Point existed for decades as an LNG import facility before it was expanded to handle exports. Cove Point began to receive LNG imports in 1978. With long-term import contracts at Cove Point now expired, the owners want the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to change the regulatory statutes governing the facility’s older (import) parts.
Read More “With Cove Point LNG Imports Ended, Owners Want Regs Changed”

| | | | | |

Columbia Pipe Explosion in Va. Reduces Flows to Cove Point LNG 50%

click for larger version

Tuesday morning, a portion of the Columbia Gas Transmission pipeline in rural western Virginia exploded and caught fire (see Columbia Gas Pipeline Near Interstate 81 in Va. Explodes, Big Fire). Fortunately, the blast did not hurt nearby residents, nor were there any injuries among first responders who helped extinguish the fire. However, Columbia shut down flows in that region, including reducing flows to Columbia Gas’ Loudoun LNG interconnect to zero. That outage has affected gas heading to the Maryland coast and the Cove Point LNG export facility.
Read More “Columbia Pipe Explosion in Va. Reduces Flows to Cove Point LNG 50%”

| | | | | | |

Dominion Sells Remaining 50% Share in Cove Point LNG to Buffett

In July 2020, Dominion Energy announced it had decided to exit the natural gas pipeline business by selling it to Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Energy (see Dominion Cancels Atlantic Coast Pipe, Sells Pipe Biz for $9.7B). Part of the deal involved selling a 25% interest in the Cove Point LNG export facility to Berkshire Hathaway, transferring responsibility for operations to Berkshire (see Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Now Runs Cove Point LNG!). Yesterday both Dominion and Berkshire announced a deal for Berkshire to buy out Dominion’s remaining 50% share in Cove Point for $3.3 billion.
Read More “Dominion Sells Remaining 50% Share in Cove Point LNG to Buffett”

| | | | | | |

Drought Over? SRBC Approves New Shale Water Withdrawals in PA

Just two weeks ago, the Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) told all water users in the basin that have withdrawal permits, including shale drillers, they should review those permits, and if there are restrictions for withdrawals during low streamflow conditions, they need to make alternative plans (see SRBC Advises Water Permit Holders to Consider Alternative Sources). The concern is an ongoing drought in the Northeast. However, at the same time the commission was issuing its warning, it was also approving new water withdrawal projects!
Read More “Drought Over? SRBC Approves New Shale Water Withdrawals in PA”

| | | | | | |

SRBC Advises Water Permit Holders to Consider Alternative Sources

At the end of May, MDN told you about water withdrawal restrictions from the Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) affecting 42 Pennsylvania oil and gas operators due to ongoing drought conditions (see SRBC Water Withdrawal Restrictions Hit 42 PA Oil & Gas Operators). Earlier this week, the SRBC notified all water users in the basin that have withdrawal permits, including shale drillers, they should review those permits, and if there are restrictions for withdrawals during low streamflow conditions, they need to make alternative plans…now.
Read More “SRBC Advises Water Permit Holders to Consider Alternative Sources”

| | | |

Maryland Gov. Moore Withdraws Nomination of Gas Official to PSC

That was fast. Yesterday we told you that newly-elected Maryland Gov. Wes Moore had nominated someone who actually knows something about the energy industry, from the American Gas Association, to be a member of the Maryland Public Service Commission (see Big Green Torqued with Maryland Gov Over Appointing Gas Official). As we reported, Big Green had a cow. We speculated on whether or not Moore would withdraw the nomination–whether or not Moore has any male anatomy. Now we know the answer…he doesn’t.
Read More “Maryland Gov. Moore Withdraws Nomination of Gas Official to PSC”

| | | |

Big Green Torqued with Maryland Gov Over Appointing Gas Official

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore

This past November, the uber-leftist state of Maryland elected a true-blue Democrat as its governor, instead of the previous governor, Larry Hogan, who was a Democrat-lite (Republican in Name Only). The new governor, Wes Moore, made all sorts of campaign promises about forcing Maryland to dump reliable fossil fuel energy and switch to unreliable renewables like wind and solar instead. A month into his term, Gov. Moore has just nominated the senior director of energy analysis at the American Gas Association to be a member of the state Public Service Commission. Predictably, the lunatic left is having a cow.
Read More “Big Green Torqued with Maryland Gov Over Appointing Gas Official”

| | | | |

FERC Approves New Compressor Unit in Sussex County, Delaware

On January 18, 2022, Eastern Shore Natural Gas Company (ESNG, a subsidiary of Chesapeake Utilities Corporation) filed an application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to construct and operate a new natural gas-fired compressor unit and ancillary facilities at its existing Bridgeville Compressor Station in Sussex County, Delaware (called the Southern Expansion Project). Right away, the odious radicals of Food and Water Watch filed an official protest. It took nearly a year, but (as we’re just learning now) on Dec. 16, FERC issued full approval for the project. The new compressor unit will flow an extra 7.3 MMcf/d (million cubic feet per day) of natural gas to new residential, commercial, and industrial customers along the Delmarva Peninsula.
Read More “FERC Approves New Compressor Unit in Sussex County, Delaware”

| |

D.C. Suburb Votes to Ban New Gas Hookups Beginning 2026

Yet another area heavily infested with far-left Democrats has voted to abolish the freedom of residents to choose their own energy source. The Montgomery County (Maryland) County Council voted 9-0 (all nine are Dems) to ban new natural gas hookups beginning in 2026. Montgomery County is a suburb of the D.C. swamp (lots of swamp dwellers in Montgomery). The County Executive, also a Dem, said he supports the ban and will sign it into law. This is what happens under one-party rule when that party doesn’t give a damn about the poor people and people of color who will end up being most affected by such a ban.
Read More “D.C. Suburb Votes to Ban New Gas Hookups Beginning 2026”