Late

A growing realization is dawning for European shale gas operators that “serious” man-made and technical obstacles may block attempts to replicate U.S. experiences with shale gas, according to London-based analyst Chatham House.

Royal Dutch Shell plc, which operates the Athabasca Oil Sands Project (AOSP), said late Monday its oilsands operations have achieved a production milestone of 500 million bbl since production began in 2003. Current production capacity has reached 255,000 b/d, Shell said.

Boardwalk Pipeline Partners LP and an affiliate leaped into the natural gas liquids business late Thursday by agreeing to pay $625 million in cash to buy PL Midstream, whose Choctaw and Sulphur salt dome hubs in southern Louisiana provide salt dome storage, pipeline transportation, fractionation and brine supply services for petrochemical producers in Louisiana.

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Michael Krancer said late last month he is “not convinced” that wastewater injection wells are an issue in the state, and said he disagreed with a state legislator’s plan to enact a two-year moratorium.

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Michael Krancer said late last month he is “not convinced” that wastewater injection wells are an issue in the state, and said he disagreed with a state legislator’s plan to enact a two-year moratorium.

Crestwood Midstream Partners LP late Monday agreed to pay $90 million to buy some of Devon Energy Corp.’s midstream assets in the Barnett Shale and to process the producer’s natural gas output from 20,500 dedicated acres, now estimated at 95 MMcf/d, over a 20-year period.

Williams late Thursday said it is drawing up plans to build the first propane dehydrogenation (PDH) facility in Canada, which would give it room to increase its polymer-grade propylene production to serve a growing petrochemical market.

Williams Partners LP (WPZ) agreed late Tuesday to expand its business venture in the Utica Shale with Caiman Energy II by funding almost half of a midstream infrastructure development in Ohio and northwestern Pennsylvania.

The cash market rose on average about a nickel overall Tuesday as a late-session futures surge Monday combined with supportive weather in some parts of the country to send quotes squarely into the plus column. Futures built on Monday’s gains and the July contract Tuesday rose 3.1 cents to $2.446 and August futures added 2.9 cents to $2.496. July crude oil tacked on 31 cents to $84.29/bbl.