Developing

Oil sands are emerging as Alberta’s celebrity product, but the province still owes much of a developing economic boom — and the capital to finance the new star — to its long-standing status as Canada’s chief natural gas-producing jurisdiction.

As the world population grows from six billion to eight billion people by 2030 and economic growth increases in developing countries, the world’s energy use will rise 60% from levels seen in 2000, or 1.6% per year from 205 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d) to 335 million boe/d, even taking into account gains in energy efficiency, according to ExxonMobil’s Annual Energy Outlook released Tuesday.

A new battle is developing in a marathon industry campaign to maintain access to a prime Alberta drilling target — “sour” natural gas, steeped in hazardous hydrogen-sulphide, which accounts for nearly one-third of the main Canadian producing province’s reserves.

Cheniere Energy Inc., which is developing three liquefied natural gas (LNG) regasification terminals along the Gulf Coast, said Friday it will begin remobilizing construction activities on its Sabine Pass, LA site in Cameron Parish on Monday. Activity should return to pre-hurricane levels within the next five to six weeks, the company said.

Houston-based Cheniere Energy Inc., which is developing several liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals along the Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana, said Thursday that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has begun a formal investigation into some agreements the company signed last year with Chevron USA.

Gulf South Pipeline Co. LP and Texas Gas Transmission LLC, along with Energy Transfer Partners LP, said late Thursday they are jointly developing two independently owned and operated natural gas pipeline systems that will interconnect near Carthage, TX to integrate with existing systems in East Texas — a region where the Bossier Sand and Barnett Shale gas plays are producing at high speed.

Bay Gas Storage Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of EnergySouth Inc., said Friday it plans to begin developing a third underground natural gas storage cavern and related facilities near Mobile, AL, in May, a move that would nearly double its working gas storage capacity.

Bay Gas Storage Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of EnergySouth Inc., said Friday it plans to begin developing a third underground natural gas storage cavern and related facilities near Mobile, AL, in May, a move that would nearly double its working gas storage capacity.

Berry Petroleum Co. is paying about $5 million to gain a 50% working interest in 345,000 prospective acres in the Denver Basin of eastern Colorado, western Kansas and southwestern Nebraska from Bill Barrett Corp. The two companies plan to jointly explore and develop the shallow Niobrara gas assets on the acreage, which expands the program Berry started late last year in the area.