Broken

A squabble has broken out in British Columbia (BC) as a sharp reminder to natural gas producers that they are treading on tricky ground as they expand supply development northwards.

California’s power plant and transmission power line permitting processes are broken, regulators from the California Energy Commission (CEC) and California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) said last week.

California’s power plant and transmission power line permitting processes are broken, regulators from the California Energy Commission (CEC) and California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) told a Law Seminars International Conference, “Energy in California,” Monday in San Francisco. There are corrective initiatives under way at both state commissions, but ultimately the state legislature will have to weigh in, too, they said.

Gas storage withdrawals last week may have broken the weekly record set Jan. 17, 1997 at more than 260 Bcf, according to a number of forecasters. Not only did the severe cold early in the week send gas demand to peak levels on some northeastern local distribution systems, but the extended cold also sustained high withdrawals for multiple days.

Southern California Gas took the #1 compressor at its North Needles Station off-line Wednesday to repair broken gears and the case on the unit’s air starter. The work is causing a loss of 150 MMcf/d of border receipt capacity at Needles until further notice.

Richmond, VA-based Dominion Resources and Norway’s Statoil ASA said last Thursday that they have officially broken ground on an expansion project that will increase capacity and storage at the Dominion Cove Point liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in southern Maryland.

Richmond, VA-based Dominion Resources and Norway’s Statoil ASA said Thursday that they have officially broken ground on an expansion project that will increase capacity and storage at the Dominion Cove Point liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in southern Maryland.

The old cliche “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it” could double as the motto of ExxonMobil Corp., which plans to keep its proven long-term approach of steady growth with disciplined investment in large energy projects going forward. Who could blame the energy Goliath, which posted more than $36 billion in profit for 2005 — the largest profit for a U.S. company in history (see Daily GPI, Jan. 31).

FirmGreen Energy, a privately held Newport Beach, CA, alternative energy company announced Wednesday that ground has been broken for a three-phase trash-to-energy project with the Franklin County Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO). The project will involve capturing, cleaning and using methane and carbon dioxide (CO-2) from SWACO’s landfill gas in multiple end-use applications.