Industrial

The Pearl gas-to-liquids (GTL) plant in Ras Laffan Industrial City in the state of Qatar has sold its first commercial shipment of GTL gasoil, partners in the project Qatar Petroleum and Royal Dutch Shell plc said Monday. Pearl GTL is the largest energy project ever launched in the state of Qatar, they said.

The United States in 2010 continued to lead the world in natural gas production, boosted by massive shale deposits, according to the latest statistical review by BP plc.

Natural gas development in the Marcellus Shale poses a danger to the Susquehanna River and its tributaries, which supply almost half of the fresh water resources in the Chesapeake Bay, American Rivers said Tuesday.

End-users, including oil and natural gas producers, utilities and industrial energy consumers, got their wish last Tuesday when the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) approved proposed rules that would exempt commercial end-users from margin requirements on derivative transactions involved in the hedging or mitigation of risk.

Domestic natural gas — particularly that from shales — is the fix for a host of problems, including the need for national energy security and measures to address pollution, as well as volatile energy prices, a task force formed last year said in a report released Monday.

Prices continued to fall modestly at a majority of points Friday, but despite the extra decline of industrial load over a holiday weekend, a number of locations mostly in the Northeast were flat to a little more than 90 cents higher because of a revival of colder temperatures during the weekend and through much of the week. Subfreezing lows predicted to begin Saturday in the Northeast caused regional citygates to record the largest upticks.

Chiefly reflecting the previous Friday’s 11.5-cent rebound by October futures and the return of industrial load from its usual weekend hiatus, prices rose at a large majority of points Monday.

Reinforcing a growing trend toward dual natural gas transportation fueling outlets, a Los Angeles industrial suburb, the City of Commerce, last Monday opened a fueling station offering both compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG). The new term is LCNG fueling, according to Seal Beach, CA-based Clean Energy Fuels Inc., which is providing the LNG and operating/maintenance at the station under contract to the city.

Reinforcing a growing trend toward dual natural gas transportation fueling outlets, a Los Angeles industrial suburb, the City of Commerce, on Monday opened a fueling station offering both compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG). The new term is LCNG fueling, according to Seal Beach, CA-based Clean Energy Fuels Inc., which is providing the LNG and operating/maintenance at the station under contract to the city.