Infrastructure

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee last Thursday approved by voice vote pipeline safety reauthorization legislation (HR 2845), which may be enough to jump-start action and get a bill through Congress this year.

Calling his company a “growth-oriented” utility, Sempra Energy CFO Mark Snell said the natural gas infrastructure part of Sempra’s business is being redefined and growing at a slower pace. Snell made these observations last Wednesday at the Barclays Capital CEO Energy-Power Conference in New York City.

With much of drought-stricken Texas being ravaged by wildfires, the energy industry has its eyes on infrastructure that could be threatened by flames and potential production shut-ins. However, production volumes from fire-afflicted Texas counties “seem unaffected so far,” Bentek Energy LLC said in a note Friday.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Thursday approved by voice vote pipeline safety reauthorization legislation (HR 2845, which may be enough to jump-start action and get a bill through Congress this year.

Calling his company a “growth-oriented” utility, Sempra Energy CFO Mark Snell said the natural gas infrastructure part of Sempra’s business is being redefined and growing at a slower pace. Snell made these observations Wednesday at the Barclays Capital Energy-Power CEO Conference in New York City.

The need for higher standards in emerging shale plays could push some companies out of the business, a Talisman Energy Inc. executive told a Philadelphia audience Thursday.

In the aftermath of a continuing string of natural gas pipeline/infrastructure failures, the pressure from federal and state regulators will grow and so too will the capital expenditures (capex) among utilities and large transmission pipeline operators, according to Southwest Gas Corp. CEO Jeffrey Shaw. He made the observations earlier in August in response to questions from financial analysts.

Appalachian Midstream Partners (AMP) will use a $176 million equity commitment from Avista Capital Partners to develop and expand its Bear Print system to serve Marcellus Shale gas production in north central Pennsylvania, the Columbus, OH-based company said.

Energy infrastructure dominoes that may fall in Texas in the wake of a series of stiffer environmental rules could start with the demise of old natural gas-fired generation plants, according to a report by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) released last Wednesday. The study concluded that coal-fired generation in the state is likely to see few, if any, plant retirements from stiffer federal water, air and coal regulations.