MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: NY needs unprecedented increase in wind, solar to hit 2030 target; INTERNATIONAL: Russia uses new arctic LNG to dodge energy sanctions; Spain, Belgium increased Russian natgas imports up to 50%.
Read More “Other Stories of Interest: Wed, Nov 1, 2023”
A fuel cell manufacturer located in Westmoreland County, PA — WATT Fuel Cell — manufactures Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (“SOFC”) stacks and systems that operate on common, readily available fuels such as natural gas and propane. Instead of burning and combusting natural gas (or propane), those fuel sources are subjected to an electrochemical process that produces electricity. In July, the company announced it would distribute 500 of its units to customers of Hope Gas, a West Virginia-based natural gas utility (see NatGas-Powered WATT Fuel Cells Provided to 500 West Virginia Homes). Hope Gas announced yesterday another 5,300 WATT units will be distributed to its customers as part of the recent hydrogen hub award given to West Virginia and its partners.
Read More “Hope Gas to Use ARCH2 $$ to Distro 5,300 Hydrogen Fuel Cells in WV”
Last week, MDN brought you a list of the 15 proposed projects that are part of the West Virginia-led Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub (ARCH2) initiative (see Full List of ARCH2 Hydrogen Hub Projects by Name, State, and Type). We brought you a PowerPoint slide deck from Shawn Bennett, the Division Manager for Energy and Resilience at Battelle, the private lab that is quarterbacking the ARCH2 project. The slide show was used during an online briefing about ARCH2. Today, we have a second slide show to share — this one from the Dept. of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, which co-presented with Battelle during the briefing.
Read More “Deeper Dive into Hydrogen Hub Projects Coming to WV, Timeline”
Mama says, “Stupid is as stupid does.” The phrase from the modern classic Forrest Gump perfectly describes a proposal floating in the Pennsylvania legislature called House Bill (HB) 170, which would increase setback distances for shale wells from 500 feet to 2,500 feet — effectively killing any new shale well drilling anywhere in the state. In June, Democrat Party bosses shut down action on HB 170, telling the House to cancel a vote (see PA Dems Abandon Bill to Kill All Marcellus Drilling Using Setbacks). But the wackadoodle left couldn’t help itself. Yesterday, the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, under the “leadership” of Chairman Greg Vitali (D-Delaware), held a hearing to spread lies about shale drilling and to consider passing the very stupid HB 170.
Read More “PA Sen. Yaw Calls HB 170 Banning New Drilling Via Setbacks “Stupid””
The so-called Pennsylvania Bipartisan Climate Initiative officially launched last Friday. The group is made up of liberal Democrats — it is certainly NOT “bipartisan,” as it falsely claims. The aim and goal of the group is the mass brainwashing of the PA public, pushing the state’s poorly-written Environmental Rights Amendment (ERA) law. The group hopes it can turn local municipalities and residents into radicals who use the ERA as a blunt instrument to club the fossil fuel industry into extinction. This is a group of radicalized leftists pushing a hard-left agenda in the Keystone State. Be sure to push back.
Read More “PA Partisan Climate Initiative Launches for Mass Brainwashing ERA”
The Argonne National Laboratory, a U.S. Dept. of Energy lab, has tested the efficacy of blending hydrogen with natural gas in existing pipelines. Argonne found blending hydrogen with natgas lowers emissions due to hydrogen production and end-use combustion. However, injecting hydrogen into pipelines leads to higher transmission and distribution emissions and greater energy demand in compressor stations, wiping out the upstream and downstream benefits. In Argonne’s modeling, blending 30% hydrogen (by volume) into gas pipelines yielded a modest 6% decrease in lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions — but hydrogen blending at that level doubles leakage from transmission lines.
Read More “Hydrogen Blending in Existing NatGas Pipes Leads to High Leakage”
U.S. Department of Energy reviews for liquefied natural gas (LNG) export permits have lengthened under President Joe Biden’s administration to 11 months or more, from seven weeks, according to government data. The reason? According to one LNG analyst in the know, the DOE is “sitting on decisions because of politics.” Intentional political foot-dragging. The Bidenistas are feeling the heat from two groups: Big Chemical claims exporting more LNG will raise prices domestically for their feedstock. And shrill environmentalist wackos are being loud and obnoxious (what’s new?).
Read More “Biden DOE Permits for LNG Exports Go from 7 Weeks to 11 Months”
OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Dominion’s EV charging program in Va. has zero sign-ups; BP explores forming joint ventures to boost US shale; NATIONAL: Crestwood unitholders approve Energy Transfer transaction; Cummins predicts huge growth in natural gas engines; How Kelcy Warren’s pipeline dream powered a nation; Fierce opposition, lack of regs squeeze CO2 pipe projects; INTERNATIONAL: World Bank warns oil could jump above $100; Construction begins on world-first natural gas research facility; Construction of controversial Canadian pipeline complete.
Read More “Other Stories of Interest: Tue, Oct 31, 2023”
Antero Resources, which is 100% focused on the Marcellus/Utica with over 500,000 net acres under lease (and the largest M-U driller in West Virginia), issued its third quarter 2023 update last week. The company reports net production averaged 3.5 billion cubic feet equivalent per day (Bcfe/d) during 3Q23, an increase of 9% year-over-year. Of that production, liquids (NGLs) averaged 202 thousand barrels per day (MBbl/d), an increase of 18% from the year-ago period. Natural gas production averaged 2.3 Bcf/d, up 4% from the same period last year. The company made $560 million in 3Q23 versus a profit of $18 million in 3Q22 — a huge lift from last year.
Read More “Antero 3Q – Production Up, Profits Way Up, No Mergers”
TransCanada Corporation, which renamed itself TC Energy in 2019, bought out and merged in U.S.-based Columbia Pipeline Group (now Columbia Gas Transmission) in 2016 (see TransCanada and Columbia Pipeline Tie the Knot Today). TransCanada paid $13 billion for Columbia, including the assumption of $2.8 billion of debt. In July, TC Energy announced it was selling a 40% stake in Columbia for US$3.9 billion (C$5.2 billion) to investment firm Global Infrastructure Partners. TC completed the sale earlier this month (see TC Energy Completes Sale of 40% Interest in Columbia Pipe to GIP). Looks like TC isn’t done yet with selling pieces of assets. Secret sources whispering to Bloomberg say that TC wants to sell minority (or all) interests in four pipeline systems, three of which move Marcellus/Utica molecules.
Read More “TC Energy Looking to Sell Share in Millennium, PNGTS, Other Pipes”
The U.S. rig count rose last week for the third week in a row, albeit by just a single rig. The national rig count added one for 625 active rigs. We remain near the lowest point of active rigs running since February 2022. As we said last week when two rig were added, it feels like a dead cat bounce to us. We’ve reached the bottom, and the count may go up a tiny bit here and there, but overall, we’re at the bottom. The count in the Marcellus/Utica, after gaining one rig three weeks ago (in Pennsylvania), remained steady at 39 active rigs last week. However, the mix changed. PA picked up another rig last week, but WV lost one, so net-net, it stayed even at 39 rigs.
Read More “U.S. Rig Count Up 3rd Week in Row – Gains 1 @ 625, M-U Even @ 39”
The mental gymnastics leftists go through to justify their anti-freedom, anti-capitalist views is truly a marvel to behold. Take the so-called Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a carbon tax scheme aimed at shutting down coal- and natural gas-fired power plants. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf could not get the Republican legislature to agree to enroll the state in RGGI, so he seized dictatorial powers and tried to do it himself. Which hasn’t worked out (Republicans sued to block it, still tied up in court). Joseph Otis Minott, President of the Clean Air Action Fund (far-left Big Green group in Philadelphia), is trying to justify RGGI with a new argument: It reduces racism (otherwise called “environmental justice”).
Read More “Left Tries to Re-spin Unpopular RGGI Carbon Tax as Enviro Justice”
Freeport LNG’s export terminal with three liquefaction “trains” shut down in June 2022 after an explosion and fire (see Explosion Rocks Freeport LNG Export Plant – Offline for 3 Weeks). What was initially thought to be a three-week outage lasted for ten months! The plant finally returned online in March of this year (see Freeport LNG Plant Back to Full Capacity Using 2.1 Bcf/d of NatGas). However, the plant is not yet back to 100% operational status. A second loading dock is still offline. Freeport recently asked FERC for permission to return Dock 2 to operational status, which would goose output from the current 2.1 Bcf/d to 2.38 Bcf/d (see Freeport LNG Still Not at 100%, Asks FERC to Approve Full Restart). On Friday, FERC responded with permission to take a few more baby steps.
Read More “Freeport LNG Second Loading Dock Inches Closer to Restart”
DeBary, Fla., a city located just north of Orlando with a population of just over 20,000, is a whole lot more brave than we are. Duke Energy announced the city is allowing the company to build a “demonstration project” in the city that will burn up to 100% hydrogen (so-called green hydrogen) to generate electricity when needed “on demand.” The peaker plant will also be able to use natural gas and a hydrogen/natgas blend. But the aim is to use up to 100% hydrogen in the plant. The dangerous part is that Duke plans to produce its “green” hydrogen by electrolyzing water right there at the plant and then store the highly explosive and flammable hydrogen in tanks (which Duke calls “reinforced containers”) on site. We wouldn’t want to live near that.
Read More “Duke Energy Building 100% Hydrogen Fuel Peaker Plant in Florida”
According to RBN Energy, the “responsibly sourced gas” (RSG) space is going through a transformation. It’s no longer OK to claim you have responsibly sourced gas; you now have to prove it is responsible via a certification. According to RBN, the two primary certifiers of natural gas are (so far) Project Canary and MiQ. We have covered both of these initiatives extensively over the past few years.
Read More “Former “Responsible Gas” Becoming “Certified” or “Differentiated””
OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Georgia Power asks for state OK to tap more fossil fuels; NATIONAL: Michael Bloomberg’s $1 billion assault on the electric grid; Biden energy policies reducing America’s global influence.
Read More “Other Stories of Interest: Mon, Oct 30, 2023”