Carries

Enbridge Bakken Pipeline Co. Inc. has completed and placed in service its 77-mile Bakken Pipeline Project Canada, which connects to the Enbridge Pipelines Inc. (EPI) Mainline and carries crude oil from the Bakken Shale to North American refinery markets, Enbridge Energy Partners LP (EEP) and Enbridge Income Fund said Monday.

In a case that carries tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars of impact, a North Dakota District Court judge rendered the first opinion in a dispute over who is entitled to subsurface mineral rights in the “shore zone” along two major navigable waterways in the state. Ultimately, the issue will need to be resolved by the state Supreme Court, state officials said.

A plan unveiled last Friday by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) to transform its natural gas pipeline system into a role model for the industry carries a price tag of more than $1.9 billion spread over the next three-plus years, according to information released as part of the utility’s proposal to state regulators. Shareholders would absorb a little more than 25% of the total cost estimate.

While the current shale-rich North American natural gas market carries little hope in the short term for new liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminals, the proponents of the two surviving projects in Oregon remain optimistic that their day will come. Conventional wisdom, however, might suggest otherwise.

While the current shale-rich North American natural gas market carries little hope in the short term for new liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminals, the proponents of the two surviving projects in Oregon remain optimistic that their day will come. Conventional wisdom, however, might suggest otherwise.

Even with depressed wholesale prices, the North American natural gas industry still carries a need for robust “new and different” infrastructure, according to San Diego-based Sempra Energy CEO Donald Felsinger, who commented on the industry outlook as part of a third quarter earnings conference call last Monday. The new gas plays in North America make new pipeline and storage facilities a necessity, Felsinger said.

Even with depressed wholesale prices, the North American natural gas industry still carries a need for robust “new and different” infrastructure, according to San Diego-based Sempra Energy CEO Donald Felsinger, who commented on the industry outlook as part of a third quarter earnings conference call Monday. The new gas plays in North America make new pipeline and storage facilities a necessity, Felsinger said.

Pacific Gas & Electric issued a systemwide Stage 2 high-inventory OFO for its California Gas Transmission system. The OFO, which takes effect Thursday, carries penalties of $1/Dth for exceeding a positive daily imbalance tolerance of 5%.

NorthernStar Natural Gas Inc.’s plan to convert a working offshore oil platform and use a previously certified undersea pipeline route for liquefied natural gas (LNG) importation carries less environmental risk than a competing project that California officials rejected earlier this year, according to a company executive.