Installation

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on Thursday established the California Solar Initiative (CSI) Thermal Program to promote the installation of solar water heating systems in new and existing homes and businesses.

Williams Field Services (WFS) said it will continue emergency maintenance on the Turbo Expander Plant 5 unit at its Opal Plant in Wyoming with installation of the repaired reboiler unit beginning Thursday. The work, which is expected to be completed Friday, will reduce plant processing capacity by an estimated 250 MMcf/d. “Barring any unforeseen delays, nominations can return to pre-maintenance levels” beginning with Saturday’s gas day, WFS said.

The Obama administration’s belief that the East Coast has the potential to generate 1,000 GW of wind power would necessitate the installation of 300,000 windmills offshore, or 166 windmills per mile from Maine to Florida, and could pose more of a threat to the environment than offshore oil and natural gas drilling, said the ranking member of a House Natural Resources subcommittee last Wednesday.

The Obama administration’s belief that the East Coast has the potential to generate 1,000 GW of wind power would necessitate the installation of 300,000 windmills offshore, or 166 windmills per mile from Maine to Florida, and could cause more of an environmental threat than offshore oil and natural gas drilling, said the ranking member of a House Natural Resources subcommittee Wednesday.

Utility customer purported savings of more than $1.1 billion, development of North America’s largest thin-film solar power installation in operation and contributions of more than $16 million to nonprofit organizations and families in need are the highlights of last year’s operations at San Diego-based Sempra Energy, which recently published its first corporate responsibility report. “Powering the Every Day” focused on the energy holding company’s efforts in sustainability, such as environmental stewardship, employee development, diversity and philanthropy. Efforts to lower environmental impacts of energy operations, such as reducing generation plant emissions and increasing renewable energy and energy efficiency programs were outlined in the report, which is available at www.sempra.com under “Corporate Responsibility.”

Shell Gas & Power Developments BV Tuesday signed a master agreement with a consortium composed of Technip and Samsung for the design, construction and installation of multiple floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facilities over a period of up to 15 years, Royal Dutch Shell plc said.

Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. (BG&E) has filed with the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) a smart grid initiative that includes the planned installation of two million residential and commercial smart electric and gas meters, the company said Monday.

DCP Midstream LLC announced the startup of new facilities servicing the Anadarko-Woodford Shale resource play development in Oklahoma’s Blaine and Canadian counties. The installation of a new high-pressure booster with associated gathering and discharge pipelines is the first phase of DCP Midstream’s development in central Oklahoma. Initially, 15 MMcf/d of capacity will be added. New gas volumes will be delivered to DCP Midstream’s Okarche plant for processing and extraction of natural gas liquids. Producers are positioning themselves in the Anadarko-Woodford Shale and initial production rates are quite promising, the company said.

Williams’ Northwest Pipeline Co.’s proposed 178-mile pipeline paralleling an existing east-west line from the Columbia River Gorge across the northern side of the Columbia River in Washington state is getting back on track, a spokesperson told NGI. Company officials are to meet later this month with FERC staff to review pre-filing details. A formal filing is expected by fall.