Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Marathon Petroleum | MarkWest Energy | NGLs | Processing Plants
MarkWest Continues to Expand NGL Infrastructure in the Wet M-U
Our friends at RBN Energy recently launched a new mini-series of blog posts delving into Marcellus/Utica gas processing and fractionation in the wet gas region–meaning southwest PA, eastern OH, and the northern panhandle of WV. We previously brought you part 1 of that series (see Overview of Gas Processing & Fractionation in M-U Wet Gas Region). Today we have part 2, which takes a close look at MPLX (i.e. MarkWest Energy) and the key role their processing plants play in allowing NGL production in the M-U to continue growing.
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Greene County, PA, located in the far southwestern corner of the state, last night unveiled a new marketing/rebranding initiative called “Greene County, a Powerful Place.” Greene is making a play to attract investment from the natural gas industry’s downstream (manufacturing) sector. It is a full-throated endorsement of the Marcellus/Utica shale industry and the petrochemical industry that goes hand-in-hand with shale.
MARCELLUS/UTICA REGION: Williams PA-NY Constitution natgas pipe could enter service in 2021; ODNR issues 15 permits in Utica-Point Pleasant shale; Neighbors: Natural gas producer taking right approach; Tenaska amends financing for natural gas-fueled power plant in Pennsylvania; Local teachers “empowered” thanks to natural gas and oil industry; OTHER U.S. REGIONS: Freeport LNG ships first commissioning cargo; Cheniere takes over Corpus Christi LNG Train 2 control; Energy Transfer, Shell want five-year extension for Lake Charles LNG; NATIONAL: Downhole Technology and Resource Well Completion Technologies combine; To lower residential energy costs, waive goodbye to the Jones Act; Senators scrutinize U.S.-China ethane supply deals; Confessions of an anthropogenic global warming fatalist; INTERNATIONAL: Geopolitics in a liberalizing LNG market: A primer.
In October 2016, Dominion announced a new pipeline project called Eastern Market Access Project (see 
Sunoco Pipeline, a division/part of Energy Transfer, has just been fined (again) for work related to the construction of the Mariner East 2 pipeline project. This time around Sunoco got two fines: One for problems with their work in 2018, to the tune of $240,840, and one for work done back in 2017, to the tune of $78,621. Total bill: $319,461. So far the Mariner East project (ME1, ME2, and ME2X) has incurred over $13 million in fines with over 80 violations.
Last week the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) asked the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to “reinitiate consultation” (i.e. reconsider) its earlier finding that the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) project would not significantly harm protected fish and bats in its path. FERC believes there is new information on which USFWS should consider when issuing a permit that allows the pipeline to accidentally kill a few threatened species during construction.
Must be it was “pile on Mountain Valley Pipeline” week last week. In addition to FERC requesting U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to pull a permit for the project (which happened), a small group of leftists fanned out and snapped pictures of supposed “violations” of the MVP project in West Virginia. The “volunteers” are spun by lefty media outlets as concerned, salt of the earth citizens. We call them pipeline snitches.
Reversing a decision they made in January 2018 (see 
EdgeMarc Energy, headquartered in Canonsburg, PA (with 50,000 acres of Marcellus/Utica leases), filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May, looking to sell all of the company’s assets (see 
Andrew Cuomo, so-called governor of New York State (more like a ruling mob boss), is feeling the heat from HIS decision to block the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE) pipeline from getting built to provide more gas to the New York City region. Because of HIS decision, National Grid, one of two natural gas utility companies for NYC and Long Island, has slapped a moratorium on all new customers of any kind from being added to the gas delivery system. If they add new customers, they run the risk of running out of gas during peak usage times in the winter. Cuomo is now threatening to replace National Grid as the utility supplier, displaying true mob boss-like behavior.