Irving

Deterioration of hopes for liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports from Canada on a large scale has spread from the Pacific to the Atlantic coast.

A recent swarm of modest earthquakes in the Irving, TX, area drew a substantial amount of media attention, and much of it pointed a finger at Barnett Shale drilling activities such as hydraulic fracturing and the injection of drilling waste into disposal wells. It’s too soon to lay any blame, said a seismologist writing in the Dallas Morning News.

Irving, TX-based Worldwide Energy Consortium Inc. (WEC) is set to begin the initial engineering/permitting phase for a new refinery to be located near Gardendale in La Salle County, TX.

During the third quarter Irving, TX-based Pioneer Natural Resources Co. set a new production record in the Eagle Ford Shale, where it said its choke management program continues to improve well performance. Continued development of the Wolfcamp Shale in West Texas is setting the play up to be a “significant” contributor to production growth in the future, the company said.

The nation’s energy capital will get a little bigger in the coming years as Irving, TX-based ExxonMobil Corp. expands its Houston campus, which is under development, to accommodate employees it will relocate from Fairfax, VA, and Akron, OH. Affected will be the Fairfax offices of ExxonMobil Refining and Supply Co.; ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Co.; ExxonMobil Fuels, Lubricants & Specialties Marketing Co.; the Akron-based employees of ExxonMobil Chemical Co.; and select positions from ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Co. and ExxonMobil Chemical Co. now at the company’s Baytown, TX, refinery complex. The new campus will have multiple low-rise office buildings, laboratory, conference and training centers and facilities such as child care, a wellness center and other amenities. Construction began in 2011 at the 385-acre wooded site near the intersection of I-45 and the Hardy Toll Road. The facility will accommodate about 10,000 employees who will move to the new campus in phases beginning in early 2014. Full occupancy for employees is expected by 2015.

Eagle Rock Energy Partners LP will purchase Tulsa-based CC Energy II, a portfolio company of Natural Gas Partners VIII LP that is also called Crow Creek Energy, for $525 million, the Houston-based partnership said Tuesday.

Irving, TX-based super major ExxonMobil Corp. delivered the goods in 2Q2010, reporting that its net profits jumped 85% and production rose 8% from the year-ago period. Excluding one-time charges, ExxonMobil earned $7.56 billion ($1.60/share), compared with $3.95 billion (85 cents) in 2Q2009.

Irving, TX-based super major ExxonMobil Corp. delivered the goods on Thursday, reporting that its 2Q2010 net profits jumped 85% and production was up by 8% from the year-ago period. Excluding one-time charges, ExxonMobil earned $7.56 billion ($1.60/share), compared with $3.95 billion (85 cents) in 2Q2009.

ExxonMobil Corp. boosted its proven reserves last year by 1.5 billion boe, more than replacing the amount of oil and natural gas it produced.