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Bernstein Research Predicts NatGas Price to Average $5 in 2025/26

Hart Energy is reporting some startling statements from Bernstein Research in a new report. One insight (statement) offered by Bernstein is that U.S. natural gas will average $5/Mcf in 2025 and 2026, and that’s “conservative, in our view.” Bernstein predicts “a coming U.S. gas super-cycle.” The Bernstein team expects U.S. gas demand will grow from some 120 Bcf/d today to 150 Bcf/d by 2030 as new AI data centers and LNG export trains come online. Read More “Bernstein Research Predicts NatGas Price to Average $5 in 2025/26”

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TETCO Asks FERC to Swap Gas for Electric Compressor in Pa. Project

The Texas Eastern Transmission Pipeline Company (aka TETCO) recently filed a request with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to make a change in its plans related to upgrades at the pipeline’s Entriken Compressor Station located in Todd Township, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. Several years ago, TETCO (owned by Enbridge) filed to build the Appalachia to Market II Project (A2MII) and the Entriken HP Replacement Project (see FERC Chair Phillips Surprises, Moves to Quickly Advance 3 Gas Pipes). The two projects combined work together to flow 55,000 dekatherms per day (Dth/d, same as 55 MMcf/d) of natural gas from the Marcellus/Utica in southwest Pennsylvania to existing local distribution companies in New Jersey. Read More “TETCO Asks FERC to Swap Gas for Electric Compressor in Pa. Project”

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PA DEP (Finally) Gets It Right with New Permit Tracking Website

Going back perhaps more than a decade, we have told you about the shortcomings of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) regarding the timely review and issuance of permits used during the drilling process. A Chapter 102 Erosion and Sedimentation Permit or Chapter 105 Water Obstruction and Encroachment General Permit could take two, three, or even six months for approval — instead of the policy-mandated 14 days. Current Gov. Josh Shapiro made it a goal to “fix” the permit issue when he assumed office two years ago. In November, the DEP announced it had eliminated its permit backlog (see PA DEP Claims Permit Backlog for O&G Now Completely Eliminated). The DEP recently released a new tool the public can use to monitor permits filed and issued. It’s quite useful. Read More “PA DEP (Finally) Gets It Right with New Permit Tracking Website”

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Expand Energy Ranked #2 Most Prolific Shale Producer in 2024

Enverus, a prominent analytics and advisory firm in the oil and gas space, released its Top 50 Public E&P Operators of 2024 list last week. Enverus is famously guarded in not allowing the media to publish their data, so we don’t have the full list of 50. However, Enverus shared the top three most prolific (by production) shale drillers for last year. Two of the top three are oil drillers in the Permian Basin (Exxon at #1, Occidental Petroleum at #3). However, at the #2 spot, nestled between those two, is Expand Energy, the new name for the combined Chesapeake Energy and Southwestern Energy. Yes, a natural gas company (gas converted to barrels of oil equivalent) is the #2 most prolific producer in the entire country, beating out Oxy! Most of the gas Expand produces is produced in the Marcellus/Utica. Read More “Expand Energy Ranked #2 Most Prolific Shale Producer in 2024”

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Judge Tosses NYC Lawsuit Against Big Oil re Climate Change

A judge has dismissed New York City’s lawsuit seeking to hold Exxon Mobil, BP, and Shell liable for misleading the public about their products and claims that their commitment to renewable energy and fighting climate change are false. The case was so weak not even a Democrat judge appointed by Kathy Hochul could stomach it. In her ruling, Justice Anar Rathod Patel told the city it could not have it both ways. The city claimed its residents knew about mythical climate change and how it is caused by burning nasty fossil fuels. Yet the city’s lawsuit claims Big Oil has tricked people into using fossil energy with false and misleading advertising. Patel wrote, “The city cannot have it both ways.” Touché! Read More “Judge Tosses NYC Lawsuit Against Big Oil re Climate Change”

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Energy Pick Chris Wright Vows to “Unleash” LNG & Nuclear at Hearing

Chris Wright

Yesterday, the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing to grill Chris Wright, CEO of fracking company Liberty Energy, and Donald Trump’s pick to head the Department of Energy. By all accounts of the coverage we’ve read, Wright (like Trump’s other picks) hit the ball out of the park. He began his prepared remarks with the statement that his first task/goal is to “unleash American energy at home and abroad to restore energy dominance.” The way to do that? “We must expand energy production, including commercial nuclear and liquified natural gas, and cut the cost of energy.” How refreshing to hear such common sense coming from someone who would lead our nation’s energy strategy! Read More “Energy Pick Chris Wright Vows to “Unleash” LNG & Nuclear at Hearing”

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EIA Predicts U.S. Will Import Less, Export More NatGas in 2025/26

Two days ago, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released its latest monthly Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), which we reported on yesterday (see Jan. STEO: NatGas Production & Demand to Hit New Highs in 2025). The EIA subsequently published a post on its Today in Energy site to review “five key energy forecasts through December 2026” from the latest STEO. One of those five forecasts is about how much natural gas will be imported (mainly via pipeline from Canada) and how much will be exported via pipeline and LNG. Read More “EIA Predicts U.S. Will Import Less, Export More NatGas in 2025/26”

Other Stories of Interest: Thu, Jan 16, 2025

MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Pa. Democrat Sen. John Fetterman signals he’ll support some Trump cabinet selections; NATIONAL: House GOP resolution would overturn Biden’s gas water heater ban; Trump to make it easier for LNG export permit renewals; INTERNATIONAL: Russia says it damaged facilities at Ukraine gas storage site; Oil surges past $80 amid tight supply. Read More “Other Stories of Interest: Thu, Jan 16, 2025”

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Massive 3 GW Gas-Fired AI/Data Center Coming to Southwest Pa.

Location of proposed TECfusions Keystone Connect (click for larger version)

We have some exciting news to share. Datacenter builder/operator TECfusions, based in Tampa, Florida, has purchased 1,395 acres in Upper Burrell (Westmoreland County), PA, for a groundbreaking data center project called TECfusions Keystone Connect. The site is the old Alcoa R&D campus and surrounding real estate in New Kensington. The project will transform the shuttered office and industrial site into a state-of-the-art data center campus, with plans for 3 gigawatts (GW) of capacity to be deployed over six years. Put another way, some 3,000 megawatts of electricity will be required to power it. MASSIVE! Read More “Massive 3 GW Gas-Fired AI/Data Center Coming to Southwest Pa.”

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EPA Reauthorizes Permit for Seneca Injection Well in Elk County, PA

The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced yesterday that it had issued an oil and gas wastewater injection well permit to Seneca Resources to continue operating well #38268 in Highland Township, Elk County. The EPA permit allows Seneca to inject up to 75,000 barrels monthly (3.125 million gallons). This well is one of two injection wells Seneca operates at that location. It was a long road for Seneca to get these two wells online, and a welcomed development that the EPA is extending the well’s operating permit. Read More “EPA Reauthorizes Permit for Seneca Injection Well in Elk County, PA”

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Feedgas Flowing to Cove Point LNG Slipped on Cold Wx, Back Now

LNG exports have become an important (even critical) part of the natural gas sector in the U.S. Feedgas flowing to LNG facilities is closely watched by many people, including traders and industry analysts. As we pointed out yesterday, lower feedgas flows to a single LNG facility can lower the NYMEX natural gas futures price (see NYMEX Gas Price Slips Due to Lower Feedgas to Freeport LNG). Little did we know, but feedgas flowing to the Cove Point LNG facility along the shoreline of Maryland dropped early last week due to cold weather. It has since rebounded. Read More “Feedgas Flowing to Cove Point LNG Slipped on Cold Wx, Back Now”

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Builders, Utility Co. Sue Maryland re New Reg Blocking NatGas Use

Maryland is a sad state. It’s completely ruled by leftists who seek to impoverish its residents by forcing them to use expensive and unreliable renewable energy. There is actually some Marcellus/Utica shale under Maryland (in a couple of far-western counties), but the state outlawed shale fracking nearly 10 years ago when then-Gov. Larry Hogan (a RINO and Trump-hater) allowed a Maryland bill to become law that bans fracking in the state (see Maryland’s Pusillanimous Gov Allows Frack Moratorium to Become Law). The latest attack against fossil energy is a new state regulation that phases out gas stoves, furnaces, water heaters, and other appliances at big residential and commercial buildings to “fight climate change.” Not so fast. Builders and one utility company have sued to block the new reg from taking effect. Read More “Builders, Utility Co. Sue Maryland re New Reg Blocking NatGas Use”

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Jan. STEO: NatGas Production & Demand to Hit New Highs in 2025

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) issued its latest monthly Short-Term Energy Outlook yesterday, the agency’s monthly best guess about where energy prices and production will go in the next 12 months. The EIA number crunchers are making the bold prediction that dry gas production will hit new record highs in 2024 and 2025. The EIA also predicts domestic gas consumption, which hit a record high in 2024, will hit a new record high in 2025 (although it will slip again in 2026). Read More “Jan. STEO: NatGas Production & Demand to Hit New Highs in 2025”

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In Parting Shot, Bidenistas Ban New Water Heaters that Use NatGas

Nothing the Bidenistas do on their way out of power surprises us. The day after Christmas, when nobody was looking, the Bidenistas at the Department of Energy (DOE) published final “climate” regulations that ban most tankless natural gas water heaters. One industry analysis estimates that consumers will pay $450 more on average when purchasing new water heaters, thanks to the regulations. The DOE didn’t issue a press release or announcement or in any way announce the change. The sleazeballs tried to hide it. Read More “In Parting Shot, Bidenistas Ban New Water Heaters that Use NatGas”

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Net Zero Asset Managers Group “in Tatters” After BlackRock Exit

We can’t stop giggling. Last Friday, MDN brought you the news that the world’s largest investment firm, BlackRock, announced it had canceled its membership and participation in the Net Zero Asset Managers (NZAM) initiative (see World’s Largest Investment Firm, BlackRock, Dumps Net-Zero Club). NZAM is closely aligned with global efforts to address so-called climate change, including those supported by the United Nations. Now comes word less than a week later that NZAM has “suspended activities” and removed not only its mission statement but the entire list of firms that are members of the group. The organization is reported to be “in tatters.” Read More “Net Zero Asset Managers Group “in Tatters” After BlackRock Exit”

Other Stories of Interest: Wed, Jan 15, 2025

NATIONAL: Supreme Court declines to block climate change lawsuits in state courts; Choice for Energy Secretary has been an evangelist for fossil fuels; Trump admin to unleash ‘energy dominance’ with a series of executive orders; Why oil industry jobs are down, even with production up; DOE, EPA put $850 million toward reducing methane pollution; INTERNATIONAL: Stratas Advisors offers oil price warning; Hamas/Israel ceasefire news cools oil rally. Read More “Other Stories of Interest: Wed, Jan 15, 2025”