Eastern

November natural gas futures were trading 6.5 cents lower at $3.219/MMBtu shortly before 9 a.m. ET Thursday as forecasters pointed to risks for long-range warmer trends in the latest guidance.

November natural gas is set to open 4 cents higher Wednesday morning at $2.93 as medium term weather models overnight called for a moderate increase in heating load. Overnight oil markets rose.

FERC on Tuesday issued a favorable environmental assessment for Dominion Energy Inc. subsidiary Dominion Cove Point LNG LP’s proposed Eastern Market Access Project.

FERC said Eastern Shore Natural Gas Co.’s proposed expansion of pipeline facilities in Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania poses no threat to the environment, advancing the company’s plans to provide an additional 61,162 Dth/d of additional firm transportation service.

May natural gas is expected to open 4 cents higher Friday morning at $3.23 as traders adjust their forecasts to accommodate incremental heating. Overnight oil markets eased.

March natural gas is expected to open 10 cents higher Thursday morning at $2.69 as weather forecasts reverse the recent trend of ever-milder outlooks. Overnight oil markets jumped.

Chesapeake Utilities Corp. subsidiary Eastern Shore Natural Gas Co. has submitted a request to FERC to begin the pre-filing review process for the company’s 2017 Expansion Project to meet additional market demand in its Delaware service territory.

Chesapeake Utilities Corp. subsidiary Eastern Shore Natural Gas Co. has submitted a request to FERC to begin the pre-filing review process for the company’s 2017 Expansion Project to meet additional market demand in its Delaware service territory.

In its latest update about the explosion and fire onTexas Easternpipeline’s Penn-Jersey line in the M3 Zone,Spectra Energy Corp.said work is progressing to restore capacity through the Delmont compressor station. The blast in Southwest Pennsylvania caused serious property damage and sent one resident to the hospital (see Daily GPI, April 29). After the explosion, flows beginning at the Delmont compressor — the western boundary of the M3 zone — were cut to zero, with flows affected eastward. About 1 Bcf/d of natural gas flows on the system have been cut (see Daily GPI, May 2). Spectra said in an update that some capacity through the compressor could be available sometime during the week of May 9. The company said it continues to work with federal regulators investigating the incident. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has issued a corrective action order to the company requiring it to determine the cause of the incident and ensure the safety of three pipelines that run parallel to the one that ruptured. The cause remains unclear, but PHMSA indicated in its order that corrosion was the likely cause (see Daily GPI, May 4). According to the order, the blast left a crater 30 feet wide, 50 feet long and 12 feet deep. The explosion, the order said, launched about 25 feet of the 30-inch pipeline 100 feet from the site of the explosion.