Morgan Evans

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) recent round of fourth quarter oil and natural gas lease sales drew less industry interest than prior sales, but more producers picked up acreage in North Dakota’s Bakken Shale and the New Mexico portion of the Permian Basin.  The lease sales in New Mexico netted more than $22.3…

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) customers can expect a nearly 13% bill increase next year after California regulators approved a plan to harden electric infrastructure against wildfire risks and upgrade some natural gas infrastructure.  The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) unanimously approved the three-year general rate case (GRC) to recover the costs from undergrounding…

Natural gas market fundamentals are aligned for adequate supply under normal winter conditions, but extreme cold snaps could threaten infrastructure across portions of the United States, federal regulators have warned. FERC and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) earlier this month issued the 2023-2024 Winter Energy Market and Electric Reliability Assessment. Citing adequate storage…

Columbia Gas Transmission LLC (TCO) and Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Co. LLC (Transco) each gained FERC approval on three projects designed to boost natural gas deliveries to the Southeast and East Coast.  Transco’s Southeast Energy Connector (SEC) would increase firm transportation supply by 150,000 Dth/d from Mississippi and Alabama to an existing power generation facility…

Several utilities released extensive plans to grow natural gas generation, expand pipelines and add LNG storage across the country to meet a wave of demand, executives said during the recent third quarter conference calls.  Many utilities have filed integrated resource plans (IRP) with state regulators that outline the role natural gas would play to ensure…

Texans on Tuesday cast ballots on a slate of constitutional amendments, with Proposition 7, which supplies state funds to add natural gas-fired power plants, resoundingly approved.  Proposition 7, a constitutional amendment to create the Texas Energy Fund, passed with about 65% of the popular vote. With its passage, the Public Utilities Commission of Texas (PUCT)…

Multi-basin exploration and production firm EOG Resources Inc. in the third quarter made steady progress toward completing a natural gas pipeline that would transport Eagle Ford Shale supply to Gulf Coast markets. EOG completed construction on a natural gas treatment facility, as well as the first phase of a 36-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline from the…

Forecasts suggest that it would take time before U.S. hydrogen production is up to speed to match burgeoning demand, and before pilot projects produce conclusive results for blending the fuel in natural gas infrastructure. Natural gas and electric utilities, nonetheless, are eager to leverage the fuel to lower emissions in existing infrastructure and electricity generation.  …

SilverBow Resources Inc. is eyeing plans to ramp up natural gas production in South Texas amid expectations for stronger commodity prices and as more Gulf Coast export projects near completion. SilverBow, which operates in the Eagle Ford Shale and Austin Chalk formations, earlier this year made oil development its focus. With gas prices hovering around…