Capture

In a public debate on how much use and emphasis there should be on oil/natural gas and particularly hydraulic fracturing (fracking), Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper on Monday called natural gas the best transition for his state eventually to move to more reliance on efficiency and renewable energy programs.

The recent surge in natural gas prices may have provoked some optimism in the energy sector, but it’s not enough to encourage more drilling, according to Barclays Capital, which expects the rig count to not surpass 450 this year.

An ambitious multi-dimensional, $4 billion project that involves what would be California’s first commercial carbon capture and storage (CCS) has been revived in the state’s oil patch in the southern end of the central valley west of Bakersfield. State energy officials have scheduled a workshop Feb. 20 for the Hydrogen Energy California (HECA) project.

On Wednesday the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) hired economists said exporting liquefied domestic natural gas would be a boon to the nation’s economy. But in the months ahead, the macroeconomic analysis will stir plenty of debate, long before any cargoes leave port.

Resources for the Future (RFF) has released an update of its ongoing project to compare regulations in 31 states with current or near-future shale gas development. The latest series of maps shows more than 27 different elements of regulation nationwide.

Drawing up a blueprint for regional companies that want to capture the lucrative business opportunities brought on by rampant Marcellus Shale oil and natural gas development in Pennsylvania, University of Pittsburgh researchers this month released a Pitt Business Working Paper titled “Understanding the Marcellus Shale Supply Chain.”

ExxonMobil Corp., which made strategic decisions in recent years to capture massive unconventional shale gas and tight oil resources in North America, is now seeing the continent undergoing a “historic energy transformation,” CEO Rex Tillerson said Friday.

Copano Energy LLC and Magellan Midstream Partners LP have formed of a joint venture (JV) to deliver Eagle Ford Shale condensate to Corpus Christi, TX. The JV’s project will make use of new and existing pipeline infrastructure.

A newly devised state self-generation incentive program can proceed, including waste heat capture (cogeneration), pressure-reduction turbines, advanced energy storage, combined heat-power (CHP) gas turbines, micro-turbines and internal combustion engines.