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TC Energy Building New Regional HQ in Downtown Charleston, WV

TC Energy, formerly TransCanada, is a huge pipeline company headquartered in Canada. TC owns and operates the Columbia Gas Transmission and Columbia Gulf Transmission pipeline systems in the Marcellus/Utica region. Yesterday, TC announced that it plans to move its regional headquarters from Kanawha City (a neighborhood in Charleston, WV) to downtown Charleston and build a new $60 million building in the process. TC said the existing 110,000-square-foot former CASCI building will be demolished and replaced with a new building, with construction expected to be complete in 2025 and employees moving in by 2026.
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US Methanol Plant in Institute, WV Up and Running at 95% Capacity

US Methanol plant – Institute, WV (click for larger version)

Happy Day! US Methanol broke ground in September 2017 in Institute (Kanawha County), WV, to build its very first methanol production plant (see US Methanol Breaks Ground on First Plant in West Virginia). Methanol plants convert natural gas into methanol, used as a chemical feedstock (raw material) to create other things, like gasoline, antifreeze, plastic bottles–even LED and LCD screens. Methanol plants use a LOT of natural gas. On Monday, a group of high-level politicians from West Virginia, including Gov. Jim Justice, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, and Sen. Joe Manchin, joined US Methanol officials to celebrate the official opening of the Institute methanol plant.
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WV Landowner Lawsuit to Block Forced Pooling Law Dealt Another Blow

A lawsuit brought by two West Virginia landowners seeking to overturn the state’s newly enacted forced pooling (i.e. unitization) law was put on pause by a federal judge on Dec. 1. The same two landowners had a previous version of the same lawsuit tossed by the judge back in September (see Lawsuit to Block West Virginia’s New Forced Pooling Law Tossed Out). The previous lawsuit sued the wrong people, according to the federal judge. This newer version sued the right people (mostly), but certain parts of it are more properly handled by state (and not federal) courts, according to the judge’s Dec. 1 ruling.
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TC Energy Partners with WV Community College to Train Gas Techs

How does this sound? You’d like a good job in the oil and gas pipeline industry, something skilled that requires some schooling. But you have a job now and can’t attend a class full-time and you can’t afford the tuition. If you live West Virginia, a huge opportunity has just opened up for you. TC Energy (pipeline giant based in Canada) is partnering with Kanawha County’s BridgeValley Community and Technical College to create programs to train future gas technicians for jobs that are expected to be in high demand in the next three to five years. If you live and stay living in WV, the 60 credit-hour (two-year) college program is tuition-free. Much of the work can be done online in a blended format–traveling to school for lab work only.
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Diversified Opens New NatGas Control Center in Charleston, WV

Diversified Gas & Oil (DGO) owns close to 8 million acres of leases with some 60,000 (mostly) conventional oil and gas wells. Their focus has been to acquire quality production and cash flow–regardless of the well or commodity type (gas or oil)–in the Appalachian Basin. DGO currently owns over 400 Marcellus/Utica shale wells in their portfolio too. The company announced yesterday it has just opened a new “state-of-the-art” natural gas control center in Charleston, WV. Initially, the new center will monitor the Cranberry Pipeline network.
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Aimless WV Antis Protest in Charleston Against Canadian Pipeline

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A group of radical anti-fossil fuel nutters who ostensibly oppose the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) that runs from West Virginia into southern Virginia are apparently without enough to do since MVP is now 90% built and close to being done. So instead of conducting a protest against MVP, members of the Appalachians Against Pipelines (AAP) protest group decided to stage an illegal protest at another pipeline builder with an office in Charleston, WV–TC Energy. TC (formerly TransCanada) has nothing to do with MVP. Idle hands are the devil’s workshop.
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Methanol Plants Huge Users of Marcellus/Utica Gas

US Methanol broke ground in September 2017 in Institute (Kanawha County), WV to build its very first methanol production plant (see US Methanol Breaks Ground on First Plant in West Virginia). Methanol plants convert natural gas into methanol, used as a chemical feedstock (raw material) to create other things, like gasoline, antifreeze, plastic bottles–even LED and LCD screens. Methanol plants use a LOT of natural gas, hence our interest.
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Progress on US Methanol Plant in Institute, WV – Praxair Providing O2

US Methanol broke ground last September in Institute (Kanawha County), WV to build its very first methanol production plant (see US Methanol Breaks Ground on First Plant in West Virginia). Methanol plants convert natural gas into methanol, used as a chemical feedstock (raw material) to create other things, like gasoline, antifreeze, plastic bottles–even LED and LCD screens. Methanol plants use a LOT of natural gas, hence our interest. A number of dignitaries attended the groundbreaking in Institute, including colorful WV Governor Jim Justice. Factoid: the plant in Institute is being constructed/assembled from a deconstructed methanol plant from Brazil. The new plant, called Liberty One, was supposed to open in mid-2018. That’s now changed. It’s been a while since we’ve reviewed Liberty One and its progress. It popped up on our radar when we spotted a press release from Praxair, an industrial gas company, announcing they have been selected as a partner to provide Liberty One with oxygen–lots of oxygen–to be used in the plant as part of the chemical process of converting methane into methanol. When we checked the Liberty One project site, we noticed the timeline to complete the plant has changed–from the previously announced mid-2018 to fourth quarter of 2019…
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Cunningham Energy Focuses on Shallow Horizontal Oil Wells in WV

Cunningham Energy is a small oil driller based in West Virginia. In 2015, Cunningham struck oil in the Big Injun sandstone formation in Clay County, WV (see Cunningham Strikes Oil in West Virginia’s Big Injun Territory). In 2016, Cunningham announced they would target another shallow formation, the Weir Sand formation, a few layers below the Big Injun (same group of rocks called the Mississippian system), once again looking for oil (see Cunningham Using Horizontal Drilling to Target Weir Sand in WV). Cunningham issued a press release two days ago to announce that its Lions Paw 4-Well Pad, in Clay County, is now producing at a rate of 10,000 plus barrels of oil per month. Normally we don’t cover news from conventional drillers, but Cunningham is interesting for a few reasons. While the rock layers Cunningham targets are layers typically targeted by conventional oil drillers, the lines are beginning to become blurred between conventional and unconventional. Cunninghamton targets shallow layers using horizontal drilling, and they drill increasingly longer laterals. Yet they don’t frack their wells. Correction: They do frack! Cunningham sent us an email to let us know they do use fracking on their shallow, horizontal wells. Is this conventional? Or unconventional? Perhaps we should invent a new word to describe it: biconventional. Drilling with elements of both conventional and unconventional. Here’s the Cunningham announcement that existing wells are pumping oil with impressive numbers. The release also mentions Cunningham’s plans to drill more shallow horizontal wells in both Clay and Kanawha counties this year…
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Cunningham Energy Strikes More Oil in WV

Cunningham Energy is a small oil driller based in West Virginia. In 2015, Cunningham struck oil in the Big Injun sandstone formation in Clay County, WV (see Cunningham Strikes Oil in West Virginia’s Big Injun Territory). In 2016, Cunningham announced they would target another shallow formation, the Weir Sand formation, a few layers below the Big Injun (same group of rocks called the Mississippian system), once again looking for oil (see Cunningham Using Horizontal Drilling to Target Weir Sand in WV). Last week Cunningham provided an update to say they’ve hit a milestone by producing 20,000 barrels of oil production from two new shallow horizontal oil wells located in Clay County, once again targeting the Big Injun. They also said they will soon begin to drill those previously mentioned Weir wells in Kanawha County. Normally we don’t cover news from conventional drillers, but Cunningham is interesting for a few reasons. While the rock layers Cunningham targets are layers typically targeted by conventional oil drillers, the lines are beginning to become blurred between conventional and unconventional. Cunninghamton targets shallow layers using horizontal drilling, and they drill increasingly longer laterals. Yet they don’t frack their wells. What is the definition of conventional vs. unconventional drilling? In brief, unconventional is the marriage of both horizontal drilling AND fracking. If you don’t have both, you don’t have what we consider an unconventional well. Yet conventional wells, like those drilled by Cunningham, increasingly have characteristics of unconventional wells, like long horizontal laterals (used to be vertical-only). Cunningham, in their promotional material, talks about one day drilling shale wells. Looks like they’re getting practiced up and ready…
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WV State Agency Rejects Anti Appeal to Stop US Methanol Plant

Antis in West Virginia who filed an appeal of a permit allowing US Methanol to build a plant in Institute, WV have been rejected by the WV Air Quality Board. Earlier this month US Methanol broke ground in Institute (Kanawha County), WV for its very first methanol production plant (see US Methanol Breaks Ground on First Plant in West Virginia). This is the first of what is rumored to be up to five such methanol plants to be built in the Mountain State by US Methanol. Methanol plants convert natural gas into methanol, used as a chemical feedstock (or raw material) to create other things, like gasoline, antifreeze, plastic bottles–even LED and LCD screens. A number of dignitaries attended the groundbreaking in Institute, including colorful WV Governor Jim Justice. People Concerned, a Big Green group, has painted nightmare scenarios that “if” a 1.2 million gallon methanol holding tank explodes, it’s the end of the world for anyone and everyone in the Institute area. In an unbelievable act of disgust, the attorney for People Concerned “reminded” the Air Quality Board that the location of the US Methanol plant is located next to “a historically black university”–implying there’s something racist about the plant and the so-called safety threats it may hold for black students. Loathsome. Fortunately the Air Quality Board refused the appeal by People Concerned, meaning the plant will continue construction as planned, going online by mid-next year…
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US Methanol Breaks Ground on First Plant in West Virginia

US Methanol broke ground yesterday in Institute (Kanawha County), WV for its very first methanol production plant. In August 2016 MDN was the first to share the news that US Methanol is building at least two, rumored up to five, methanol plants in the Mountain State (see Rumor: US Methanol Building 5 Methanol Plants in WV). MDN shared a rumor (based on a reliable source) that until we disclosed it, was not public knowledge: The first methanol plant US Methanol plans to build will be in Institute, WV, and the second in Belle, WV–both in the Charleston region. Methanol plants convert natural gas into methanol, used as a chemical feedstock (or raw material) to create other things, like gasoline, antifreeze, plastic bottles–even LED and LCD screens. A number of dignitaries attended the groundbreaking in Institute, including colorful WV Governor Jim Justice. A really cool factoid: the plant will be constructed from a deconstructed methanol plant from Brazil. Usually it’s the other way around, plants get shipped from the U.S. to other countries. This time a plant is coming “home” to the U.S. The new plant, called Liberty One, will open in mid-2018–supplied with plenty of cheap and abundant Marcellus/Utica shale gas…
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WV EDA Approves $10M Loan for Methanol Plant in Institute

Last year MDN was the first to share the news that the California-based US Methanol is building at least two, rumored up to five, methanol plants in the Mountain State (see Rumor: US Methanol Building 5 Methanol Plants in WV). MDN shared a rumor (based on a source) that until we disclosed it, was not public knowledge: The first methanol plant they will build will be in Institute, WV, and the second in Belle, WV–both in the Charleston region. We also told MDN readers that both plants were being disassembled in other countries and brought here. Our rumor/news was later verified by several other news sources, including new details that both Brazil and Slovenia were the countries losing plants. The plant in Brazil was/is being disassembled and moved to Institute (see US Methanol Confirms MDN Rumor – 2 (or More) Plants Coming to WV). We have an update. The West Virginia Economic Development Authority has approved a $10 million loan to US Methanol to purchase machinery and equipment for the Institute plant. US Methanol says progress is being made on moving the plant from Brazil to WV, and that the plant should be up and running by late this year/early next year…Continue reading

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FERC Denies Anti Request to Stop KM’s Broad Run Expansion Project

request-denied.jpgKinder Morgan’s Broad Run Expansion Project will expand transportation capacity of natural gas on the existing Tennessee Gas Pipeline system. The project includes the construction of two new compressor stations in Kanawha County, WV, one new compressor station in Davidson County, TN, and one new compressor station in Madison County, KY. Tennessee Gas also expects to increase compression capacity by modifying two of its existing compressor stations in Powell and Boyd counties in KY by replacing existing capacity with new, higher-rated horsepower compression units. The project will provide an extra 200,000 dekatherms per day (Dth/d) of transportation capacity along the same capacity path as the Broad Run Flexibility project, which was placed in service on Nov. 1, 2015. All of the additional gas will come from Antero Resources and their Marcellus/Utica program. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a Certificate to build the project in September. However, several anti-drillers filed an appeal, asking for a stay claiming a removal of 40 acres of forest for a compressor station would irreparably harm Mom Earth. FERC has just ruled against the stay and told the antis Mom Earth will be just fine. Fire up the backhoes!…
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FERC Tells Columbia to Open Valves on Utica Access Pipeline in WV

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In January 2016 the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved a plan by Columbia Pipeline to build five miles of new pipeline and an upgrade to a compressor station in Kanawha County, WV (see Columbia Pipeline Gets FERC Approval for WV Utica Access Project). The $45 million “Utica Access” project will transport 205 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) of Utica Shale gas for Eclipse Resources Corporation to trading points on the Columbia Gas Transmission interstate pipeline system. Last Thursday FERC gave Columbia (now owned by TransCanada) the green light to open the valves on the new pipeline…
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US Methanol Confirms MDN Rumor – 2 (or More) Plants Coming to WV

confirmedLast week MDN was the first to share the news that the California-based US Methanol is building at least two, rumored up to five, methanol plants in the Mountain State (see Rumor: US Methanol Building 5 Methanol Plants in WV). MDN shared a rumor (based on a source) that until we disclosed it, was not public knowledge: The first methanol plant they will build will be in Institute, WV, and the second in Belle, WV–both in the Charleston region. We now have confirmation of that rumor via several news accounts. We also told you that both plants were being disassembled in other countries and brought here. We now know which countries are losing the plants that will be reassembled in Institute and Belle…
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