Connected

Apache Corp. said the Ewing Banks 998 No.1 discovery well in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico test flowed at 5.4 MMcf/d of natural gas and 4,254 b/d of oil. The well is to be connected to existing facilities using a subsea tieback with first production expected in early 2010. Apache owns a half stake in the discovery, which is located about 150 miles southwest of New Orleans in water about 1,000 feet deep. Walter Oil & Gas Corp. is the operator of the well and owns the remaining 50% stake. The well was drilled to a measured depth of 14,538 feet and tested on an interval between 14,352 feet and 14,400 feet. Apache has completed eight wells at Ewing Banks 826 and increased production to a current rate of 12.9 MMcf/d and 5,300 b/d from a 2007 rate of 700 boe/d. Apache owns a 100% working interest in the Ewing Banks block.

In the wake of a major nonutility sale and the creation of a utility-connected charitable foundation, Bellevue, WA-based Puget Energy Thursday reported sharply increased second quarter profits of $53.5 million, or 46 cents/diluted share, compared with $13.9 million, or 14 cents/diluted share, for the second quarter in 2005. Utility earnings at Puget Sound Energy (PSE) shot up by $17.9 million for the second quarter — $30.1 million, compared with $12.2 million in the same period last year.

With a promotional launch to its ambitious liquefied natural gas (LNG) plans for California now complete, Australian-connected Woodside Natural Gas Inc. is focusing on finalizing its proposed onshore receipt site for regasified LNG shipments along the Southern California coast. Woodside will make public its final site decision next month, a Los Angeles-based spokesperson said Tuesday.

Tidelands Oil & Gas Corp. has signed a consulting services agreement with CenterPoint Energy Pipeline Services, which will provide expertise in the design and development of Tideland’s ambitious gas infrastructure project in Northeastern Mexico. The project, which will be the first of its kind in the country, will involve construction of two large diameter border crossing pipelines, a gas storage and pipeline hub, another pipeline to industrial customers in Monterrey and an offshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal.

The pipeline constrained Rocky Mountain region is less than a month away from getting a major new pipeline expansion, and one other large expansion project is making progress and should be filed with FERC in the next few months, according to company officials.

A threatened shut-in of 250 MMcf/d or more of deep-water gasproduction connected to Southern Natural Gas Co.’s system wasaverted — at least temporarily — as the owners of keyprocessing facilities in Louisiana last Thursday re-started some oftheir operations to satisfy the long-line pipeline, which claimedthe production fell short of its specifications for delivery. Theproducers, however, said their gas more than met Southern Natural’squality specs, and that they were being unfairly held to a higherstandard than other shippers on the pipeline’s system.

A threatened shut-in of 250 MMcf/d or more of raw gas productionconnected to Southern Natural Gas Co.’s system has been averted —at least temporarily — as the owners of key processing facilitiesin Louisiana yesterday re-started some of their operations to bringproduction up to the pipeline’s specifications for delivery.