In its latest update about the explosion and fire on Texas Eastern pipeline’s Penn-Jersey line in the M3 Zone,Spectra Energy Corp. said work is progressing to restore capacity through the Delmont compressor station. The blast in Southwest Pennsylvania caused serious property damage and sent one resident to the hospital (see Shale Daily, April 29). After the explosion, flows beginning at the Delmont compressor — the western boundary of the M3 zone — were cut to zero, with flows affected eastward. About 1 Bcf/d of natural gas flows on the system have been cut (see Shale Daily, May 2). Spectra said in an update that some capacity through the compressor could be available this week. The company said it continues to work with federal regulators investigating the incident. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has issued a corrective action order to the company requiring it to determine the cause of the incident and ensure the safety of three pipelines that run parallel to the one that ruptured. The cause remains unclear, but PHMSA indicated in its order that corrosion was the likely cause (see Shale Daily, May 4). According to the order, the blast left a crater 30 feet wide, 50 feet long and 12 feet deep. The explosion, the order said, launched about 25 feet of the 30-inch pipeline 100 feet from the site of the explosion.

The Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) cited the Dakota Access oil pipeline project for allegedly engaging in construction related activities without properly notifying county authorities. The IUB warned that if it happens again, the project, which is backed by Energy Transfer Partners, would be subject to civil penalties. Early this month, the Dakota Access Pipeline LLC unit began construction on the four-state, 1,154-mile project to ship Bakken crude oil to markets along the East, West and Gulf coasts, pointing toward a completion by the end of the year (see Shale Daily, May 2). Dakota Access is required later this month to file with the IUB a list of all of its pre-construction notifications sites in Iowa.

Thailand state-owned petrochemical and refining company PTT Global Chemical pcl said it would not make a final investment decision (FID) about the ethane cracker it has planned for Belmont County, OH, until next year, according to foreign news media reports. PTT announced the facility last year (see Shale Daily,April 23, 2015). It is expected to cost nearly $6 billion. At the time the project was announced, PTT said an FID would be made in late 2016. But according to the Bangkok Post, the company plans to delay a final decision until 2017 because of low global commodity prices. Work to clear and prepare the site in Mead Township, where a coal plant was once located, is ongoing (see Shale Daily, Jan. 8). PTT announced in September 2015 that it would invest $100 million for the facility’s preliminary design work (see Shale Daily, Sept. 3, 2015).