Energy Services | Ethane | Hydrogen | Industrywide Issues | Monroe County | Mountaineer NGL Storage | NGLs | Ohio
OH Issues Permits to Build Salt Caverns for Mountaineer NGL/H2 Storage
On August 30, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) issued permits to Powhatan Salt Company/Mountaineer NGL Storage for three planned solution mining wells in Monroe County. The three salt caverns will store NGLs (natural gas liquids, mainly ethane) to potentially be used by ethane crackers including the Shell cracker near Pittsburgh and potentially a second ethane cracker proposed by PTT Global Chemical in Belmont County. The salt caverns can also be used to store hydrogen (H2).
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Hold on–it’s a wild ride! Natural gas reaches a record high two days ago, only to be followed by an 11% drop the very next day. Comments by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin sent the U.S. NYMEX natural gas price down 11% in one day. Yeah, just a stray comment by old Vlad had massive power over *our* natural gas market. How? Putin publicly stated he’s going to open up the taps and flow more gas to Europe. What a guy–Europe’s savior.
Prices for natural gas along the U.S. Gulf Coast may not, on the surface, have much to do with the Marcellus/Utica–but they do. The price gas is selling for along the Gulf Coast is important because M-U molecules flow to that region to feed petrochemical plants and (more importantly) LNG export facilities. S&P is reporting even though there’s been a big storage build along the Gulf Coast for natural gas, prices remain extremely high in the region. Why? LNG exports…
Sand is big business. Just ask U.S. Silica, the largest proppant/sand provider for the oil and gas industry. Sand, as you may know, is used in fracking new shale wells. LOTs of sand is used. Sand (and alternatives like synthetic beads) is called “proppant” because it’s mixed with water, blasted into cracks in shale rock, and when the water returns to the surface the sand remains behind in the cracks and “props open” the tiny cracks to allow oil and gas to escape. The biggest such sand company in the country, U.S. Silica, announced yesterday that it is exploring separating the company’s non-oil & gas division into a separate company and selling it.
The prospect that the federal government may soon lavish trillions of dollars on the states (the Dems’ way of buying votes with the unfortunate result of causing hyperinflation) has states, especially those with Democrat governors, salivating. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf is positively giddy at the prospect. Tommy has talked to his good buddy Patty (McDonnell, Secretary of the Dept. of Environmental Protection) about all the gajillions of dollars that will flow to the Keystone State when Biden and the Dems finally (someday) pass their budget-busting bills. McDonnell has some plans for some of that money. He is beginning to recruit companies to help plug old abandoned oil and gas wells across the state.
Even the Joe Biden-controlled U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), which remains our favorite government agency although it’s now tainted with Bidenistas, can’t cover up the truth. The truth is this: By 2050 the world’s energy supplies will still mostly come from fossil fuels. The latest annual International Energy Outlook for 2021 issued by the EIA yesterday shows by 2050 so-called renewables (solar, wind, hydro) will provide around 27% of the world’s energy, nuclear another 3%, and the rest–coal, oil, and natural gas–will provide 70% of the world’s energy. Can we once and for all drop this idiotic meme that “renewables” are about to replace fossil fuels “in the next few years”?
OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Hull Street Energy buys Connecticut natural gas-fired plant; NATIONAL: USA shale cos to see minimal expansion despite rally; DOE invests $45M to decarbonize natgas power and industrial sectors; Henry Hub physical flows hit 13-year highs amid rising LNG exports; Solar and wind alone can’t meet growing power demand; INTERNATIONAL: Aramco fights Apple for most valuable company prize.
Yesterday as Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro falsely accused Energy Transfer (ET) of “crimes” while building the Mariner East 2 (ME2) pipeline, another bit of news about ME2 played out in the state’s court system. The PA Supreme Court agreed to hear a case in which several Big Green groups and a long-time anti-fossil fueler are demanding ET pay them back for legal fees in a lawsuit initiated by them against ET, a lawsuit they ultimately lost. Talk about arrogant.
Natural gas futures jumped to the highest settlement price in 12 years–$6.31/MMBtu–as global gas supply shortages stoke concerns about U.S. shortages coming this winter. Spot prices for physically traded gas also jumped yesterday. The NGI Spot Gas National Avg. was up another 32.0 cents to $5.970. Overall production dipped a bit yesterday helping to feed the fears.
On Monday the Pennsylvania Senate Community, Economic & Recreational Development Committee together with the Senate Environmental Resources & Energy Committee held a joint hearing on consumer and economic impacts of failing to invest in Pennsylvania’s natural gas infrastructure. Strong views were aired. State Sen. John Yudichak, chairman of the Economic Development Committee shared a startling and disturbing fact…
Yesterday Antero Resources announced the publication of its 2020 ESG Report (environmental, social, governance) highlighting a focus on People, Performance, and Purpose. The report details Antero Resources’ ongoing commitment to the communities in which it operates, safe operations, environmental excellence, and strong governance. Frankly, we could care less about ESG programs–an attempt to impress people who will never be impressed with the extraordinary efforts made by fossil fuel companies to respect the environment. What caught our eye in Antero’s report is the amount of money the company invested in West Virginia and Ohio, where it drills for liquids and gas.
Last week Pennsylvania issued just 8 new permits for Marcellus/Utica drilling, down a bit from previous weeks. Ohio issued 10 new permits. We don’t often see Ohio issue more permits in a week than Pennsylvania. Finally, West Virginia issued just 1 permit for new shale drilling last week.
Headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, Holland Services provides (used to provide) abstract and title examination services for the oil and gas industry. Holland maintained a large regional office in Washington, PA. A press release issued by the U.S. Department of Labor says the DOL has finally, after more than six years of endless lawsuits, forced Holland to pay back wages totaling $43 million owed for overtime to some 700 PA workers. As a side benefit the DOL has driven Holland into bankruptcy–the cherry on top for antis infesting the government agency.