Agreements

TransCanada Corp said Monday it entered into binding agreements with Phoenix Energy Holdings Ltd. to develop a $3 billion pipeline project in Northern Alberta to move oil sands crude and large amounts of diluent.

While most now expect liquefaction and export of natural gas from North America to happen, how much will be sent abroad and what it will mean for global markets and gas-oil price indexation are unclear.

As part of a program approved last year by Georgia regulators, Atlanta Gas Light Co. (AGL) has signed agreements with the City of Atlanta and three commercial operators to open five compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling stations around the state.

FERC Friday gave Dominion Transmission Inc. (DTI) the go-ahead to place into service its Appalachian Gateway pipeline, which will loosen a bottleneck to allow for the transportation of shale and conventional natural gas production from West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania to growing markets in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. The facilities were to begin service on Saturday (Sept. 1), said DTI spokesman Dan Donovan.

Fort Worth, TX-based Quicksilver Resources Inc. provided an operational update on its recently completed well in the Delaware Basin in West Texas and the completion of an eight-well pad in the Horn River Basin in British Columbia (BC).

To build its “shale-related businesses,” Houston-based oilfield services operator FMC Technologies Inc., better known for its subsea business, is acquiring Calgary’s Pure Energy Services Ltd. for US$285 million.

Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP (KMP) and BP North America struck agreements for KMP to provide BP with condensate processing services and storage at Kinder Morgan’s terminals on the Houston Ship Channel.

FERC Thursday issued two orders that will allow Questar Pipeline Co. and Chipeta Processing LLC to modify their facilities to provide producers in the Uinta Basin with greater transportation and cryogenic processing capability for liquids-rich natural gas.

The drilling boom in the Eagle Ford Shale of South Texas has increased instances of illegal drilling waste hauling in the region, while some South Texas counties have seen highway fatalities skyrocket, blamed largely on increased commercial truck traffic.