Affiliates

A federal judge has revised a decision prohibiting producers from conducting seismic studies offshore Alaska in the Chukchi Sea, clearing the way for U.S. affiliates of Royal Dutch Shell and Statoil ASA to move forward on long-planned tests.

FERC last Thursday approved a request by the U.S. affiliates of Norway’s Statoil ASA and Russia’s Gazprom for a waiver of the agency’s prohibition on tying capacity releases to “extraneous conditions” — which could help to expand the companies’ liquefied natural gas (LNG) footprint in the United States.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Thursday approved a request by the U.S. affiliates of Norway’s Statoil ASA and Russia’s Gazprom for a waiver of the agency’s prohibition on tying capacity releases to “extraneous conditions” — which could help to expand the companies’ liquefied natural gas (LNG) footprint in the United States.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Thursday approved a request by the U.S. affiliates of Norway’s Statoil ASA and Russia’s Gazprom for a waiver of the agency’s prohibition on tying capacity releases to “extraneous conditions” — which could help to expand the companies’ liquefied natural gas (LNG) footprint in the United States.

Williams Cos. Inc. is merging nearly all of its interstate natural gas pipeline and midstream affiliates into Williams Partners LP to create one of the largest master limited partnerships (MLP) in the country, the Tulsa-based energy company said last week.

Williams Cos. Inc. is merging nearly all of its interstate natural gas pipeline and midstream affiliates into Williams Partners LP to create one of the largest master limited partnerships (MLP) in the country, the Tulsa-based energy company said Tuesday.

A joint venture of two major western natural gas utilities’ affiliates, Gill Ranch Storage LLC started construction Monday on a site near Fresno, CA, in the northern end of the state’s central valley. Its sponsors are targeting August this year for completion in time for the seasonal storage buildup ahead of next winter.

Chevron Corp. has agreed to pay nearly $45.6 million to resolve claims that it and predecessor companies (Texaco, Unocal Inc. and their affiliates) violated the False Claims Act by knowingly underpaying royalties owed on natural gas produced from federal and Indian leases, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said late last month. Three other producers previously settled with DOJ in the nearly 10-year-old case.

Chevron Corp. has agreed to pay nearly $45.6 million to resolve claims that it and predecessor companies (Texaco, Unocal Inc. and their affiliates) violated the False Claims Act by knowingly underpaying royalties owed on natural gas produced from federal and Indian leases, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said Wednesday. Three other producers previously settled with DOJ in the nearly 10-year-old case.