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Cheniere Energy Inc. Thursday was granted FERC authorization to begin introducing fuel gas into the Sabine Pass liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal’s second train [CP11-72]. In a note published Friday, Genscape said it expected to see commissioning activities starting for Train 2 in the coming days. Commissioning “…will occur over the next several months as they perform their requirements before they introduce refrigerants and begin liquefaction,” Genscape said. Following technical delays, Sabine Pass recently sent out its first cargo, bound for Brazil, making it the first terminal to export U.S.-sourced LNG from the Lower 48 states (see Daily GPI,Feb. 24).

The Constitution Pipeline, which would carry Marcellus Shale natural gas to markets in the Northeast, has cleared another hurdle with a federal court ruling that it can access and build across land owned by seven property owners in Pennsylvania that opposed the project.

BridgeTex Pipeline Co. LLC, a partnership of Magellan Midstream Partners LP and Occidental Petroleum Corp., said Wednesday it has launched a supplemental open season for additional transportation commitments on the pipeline, which would carry crude oil from the Permian Basin to the Houston Gulf Coast area.

Halcon Field Services, a unit of Halcon Resources Corp., is proposing to build a storage and rail-loading terminal for Utica Shale oil at the Ohio Commerce Center industrial rail park in the village of Lordstown, in Trumbull County, OH. Plans call for four bay truck racks, a 20-rail car loading platform, and six 90,000 bbl storage tanks. The $50-$60 million project is to be completed in three phases, with the first phase expected to go into service by the end of this year. A zoning variance was recently approved to allow construction to begin.

FERC has approved a request from Spectra Energy unit Algonquin Gas Transmissions to begin a pre-filing review process for the company’s proposed Algonquin Incremental Market (AIM) Project, a significant step forward for the long-awaited pipeline, which would deliver to the Northeast critically needed gas from Pennsylvania.

California energy officials last week continued to wrestle with where to find more natural gas, renewables and purchased power sources for electric generation as they dealt with closing San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (Songs). Southern California Edison Co.’s (SCE) decision to shutter the 2,200 MW facility could cost $3 billion cost for up to 50 years (see NGI, June 10).

Aurora Oil & Gas Ltd. has begun drilling activities earlier than expected on its recently acquired Eagle Ford Shale acreage, the Australia-based company said Monday.

A new compressor station in Dallas County, AL, has been given the green light by federal regulators to begin service, adding 130,000 Dth/d of capacity to the pipeline system of Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Co. LLC (Transco).

U.S. explorers took about a decade to claim and begin producing the huge onshore unconventional bounty. Now that they’ve got their rocks of plenty in hand, the task today is determining what to keep and what to toss, according to a Credit Suisse analyst.