Galveston

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) developer NextDecade has an option on land it’s considering for a terminal site in Galveston, TX. The project is seen as a potential complement to a terminal the company is planning to construct in Brownsville, TX.

The Houston Ship Channel, the 52-mile convoy that delivers close to 11% of U.S. refining capacity for the Port of Houston, was shuttered for a third day Monday as cleanup continued to remove close to 4,000 bbl (168,000 gallons) of residual fuel oil that spilled after an oil barge and cargo ship collided.

A fleet of oil-retrieving skimmers and other vessels, as well as close to 400 people, were working Monday in parts of the Houston Ship Channel to contain up to 400 bbl (168,000 gallons) of heavy oil that spilled following a collision Saturday between an oil barge and cargo ship. The ship channel, one of the world's busiest waterways to move petrochemicals, could be closed partially to import and export traffic for a week or more.

Although condensate production in the Utica Shale is occurring at a slower-than-anticipated pace, Marathon Petroleum Corp. (MPC) said it has completed the conceptual engineering for condensate splitters at its refineries in Kentucky and Ohio, part of a $300 million investment to put the company in position to handle increasing volumes in the future.

The Balboa Field, which is in the Gulf of Mexico’s deepwater about 130 miles south of Galveston, TX, ramped up as 2010 drew to a close, Apache Corp. said Thursday.

Despite a period of relative calm since Hurricane Ike slammed into the Texas coast at Galveston Sept. 13, the Colorado State University (CSU) hurricane team said it expects above-average hurricane activity this month.

Florida Gas Transmission said Friday morning it had completed repairs of a pinhole leak on the 22-inch mainline downstream of Station 4 in Galveston County, TX (see Daily GPI, March 7). The pipeline resumes scheduling up to normal capacity through Station 4 for Friday’s gas day.

Florida Gas Transmission discovered a leak on its 22-inchmainline downstream of Station 4 (Matagorda County, TX) betweenvalves 4-7 and 4-5 (west of Galveston Bay). That section was beingisolated and its pressure reduced. As of Tuesday afternoon,estimated downtime was 24-36 hours. FGT was keeping shippers wholeTuesday and trying to re-route as much affected gas as possible, aspokeswoman said, but for today’s gas day there will be no flow at15 receipt points and two delivery points.