Exports

Not enough excess natural gas is available in Alaska’s Cook Inlet to support liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to continue from the Kenai LNG Plant on the Kenai Peninsula, according to operator ConocoPhillips. The producer said it would allow the plant’s export license to expire on March 31. “For the future, ConocoPhillips will consider pursuing a new export authorization only if local gas needs are met, and there is sufficient gas for export,” the company stated. “ConocoPhillips still has the flexibility to resume operations and apply for a new export authorization if sufficient gas becomes available.” The plant was to be mothballed after selling LNG to Japan for more than 40 years, but operations were extended to meet the country’s increased demand for gas following the meltdown of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant (see Daily GPI, Aug. 21, 2012). Separately, developing a large-scale LNG export facility is now a key component of Alaska’s plans to commercialize North Slope gas reserves (see Daily GPI, Dec. 12, 2012).

A small handful of cold, hard numbers tells why Canadian unconventional natural gas is forced to rely on elusive Asian exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to thaw out drilling prospects.

A small handful of cold, hard numbers tells why Canadian shale gas is forced to rely on elusive Asian exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to thaw out drilling prospects

After a year of jumping through regulatory hoops, Canada’s biggest and oldest petrochemical complex is poised to become a customer for exports of U.S. shale gas and liquids production.

Everyone knows “Texas tea” means oil, but in the Lone Star state, ethylene produced from booming supplies of natural gas liquids (NGL) might come to be known as “Texas sweetened tea” for the profitability it’s bringing to the Gulf Coast petrochemical industry.

With or without federal approval for liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to nonfree trade agreement (FTA) nations, Sempra Energy is moving ahead with permit applications and engineering plans at its existing Cameron, LA, LNG import facility, Sempra executives said Tuesday. At the same time, the Sempra execs reiterated that the company is leaving the merchant power space.

In the article “XTO, MarkWest Execs Tout Shale Success, Push Public Interaction, LNG Exports” (see Shale Daily, Sept. 21), NGI’s Shale Daily incorrectly stated that the Golden Pass liquefied natural gas terminal project is being developed by Cheniere Energy Inc. The Golden Pass Products liquefaction expansion project is a partnership of affiliates of Qatar Petroleum International (70% ownership) and ExxonMobil Corp. (30%). NGI’s Shale Daily regrets the error.

Chesapeake Energy Corp. CEO Aubrey McClendon, who Thursday spoke to analysts publicly for the first time in months beyond the Oklahoma City boardroom, said the company remains on track to sell up to $14 billion of assets by the end of the year, including a package of properties in the Permian Basin. He’s also confident that even as the company continues to turn toward more oily production, natural gas prices will strengthen in the coming months.

Canada’s dormant Arctic project is more than replaced by the latest and largest plan for liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports from the northern Pacific Coast of British Columbia (BC) at Kitimat.