Engineering

Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. LP (CPChem) has received the go-ahead from its board of directors to proceed with its US Gulf Coast (USGC) Petrochemicals Project, which was announced in 2011.

The Macondo well blowout spilled much less oil than the U.S. government estimates of 4.9 million bbl, according to a reservoir engineering expert hired by operator BP plc.

Williams Pacific Connector Gas Operator LLC, acting as the engineering, procurement and construction management contractor on behalf of Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline LP asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for authorization to construct and operate the Pacific Connector Pipeline, a proposed interstate natural gas transmission system designed to deliver up to 1,060,000 Dth/d of natural gas from interconnects with Ruby Pipeline LLC and Gas Transmission Northwest LLC near Malin, OR, to the Jordan Cove LNG export terminal being developed by Jordan Cove Energy Project LP. In late May Jordan Cove, an affiliate of Calgary-based Veresen Inc., filed an application with FERC to construct the liquefied natural gas export facility on the West Coast within the international Port of Coos Bay, OR (see Daily GPI, May 23).

Irving, TX-based Worldwide Energy Consortium Inc. (WEC) is set to begin the initial engineering/permitting phase for a new refinery to be located near Gardendale in La Salle County, TX.

The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) ordered Noble Energy Inc. to cease operations and regain control of an impoundment pit in Marshall County after thousands of gallons of drilling wastewater spilled into a waterway in February.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved Omnitek Engineering Corp.’s application for diesel-to-natural gas conversion technology for Navistar’s heavy-duty DT466E and DT530E engines.

Cheniere Energy Partners LP unit Sabine Pass Liquefaction LLC and Bechtel Oil, Gas and Chemicals Inc. have entered into a lump sum turnkey contract for the engineering, procurement and construction of the third and fourth liquefaction trains to be constructed adjacent to the Sabine Pass LNG terminal in Cameron Parish, LA. The contract price is about $3.8 billion. Total expected costs for the third and fourth trains before financing are estimated to be between $4.5 billion and $5 billion.Sabine Liquefaction intends to give Bechtel a notice to proceed upon achieving financing and a final investment decision. Construction for the third and fourth trains is expected to begin in the first half of 2013. Sabine Liquefaction commenced full construction for the first two liquefaction trains in August. Sabine Liquefaction recently announced that it is developing a fifth and sixth liquefaction train at the project and has entered into a sale and purchase agreement with Total Gas & Power North America Inc. (see Daily GPI, Dec. 18).

Engineering company Curtiss-Wright Corp. said Monday it would pay $135.1 million in cash to acquire Cimarron Energy Inc. to gain entry into the U.S. shale oil and natural gas market.

Houston-based Oil and Gas Solutions LLC (OGS) has been awarded an engineering contract by Austin, TX-based Omni Water Solutions Inc. to design Omni’s new HIPPO mobile water treatment system, which would be used to treat and recycle high volumes of water used in hydraulic fracturing. OGS said the system would be a modularized unit that would fit onto a conventional low-boy trailer for easy transport.