Mississippi

One day after the body of Sequent Energy Management President Douglas N. Schantz was found in the Mississippi River, the New Orleans coroner confirmed that Schantz had drowned after likely hitting his head while falling from the dock. Family and friends warmly remembered the executive on Wednesday.

FERC Friday issued a favorable final environmental review of Florida Gas Transmission’s (FGT) proposal to construct 483 miles of pipeline facilities in Alabama, Mississippi and Florida to meet expanding natural gas-fired power generation demand in the Sunshine State.

FERC Friday issued a favorable final environmental review of Florida Gas Transmission’s (FGT) proposal to construct 483 miles of pipeline facilities in Alabama, Mississippi and Florida to meet expanding natural gas-fired power generation demand in the Sunshine State.

An exploration well in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) at the Vito prospect in Mississippi Canyon Block 984 has encountered more than 250 net feet of oil pay in subsalt Miocene sands, Anadarko Petroleum Corp., the well operator, reported. Anadarko has a 20% stake in the prospect; Shell Offshore Inc. holds a 55% working interest and is to become operator after the rig is released. StatoilHydro USA E&P Inc. holds the remaining 25% stake. The partners plan to evaluate the data from the Vito well and time an appraisal well, said Anadarko’s Bob Daniels, senior vice president, Worldwide Exploration. The Vito well was drilled to a total depth of 32,000 feet in 4,038 feet of water using the Noble Amos Runner deepwater drilling rig. Once operations are complete at Vito, Anadarko plans to move the rig to continue drilling operations at its operated Caesar/Tonga development in the Green Canyon area.

Southern Natural Gas noted that as previously posted, it is in the process of abandoning its 16-inch diameter Mississippi Canyon 268 Line. As a result the West Delta 152 receipt point has been shut in and Southern is not accepting nominations there for about six days starting with Wednesday’s gas day. Since there is firm service at the point, this work constitutes a force majeure, the pipeline said.

Production from the Thunder Hawk Field in the Gulf of Mexico ramped up in early July, according to operator Murphy Oil Corp. The field is in Mississippi Canyon Block 734, with output processed by a semi-submersible floating production unit built by SBM Offshore. The unit is able to process up to 70 MMcf/d of natural gas and 45,000 b/d of oil. Thunder Hawk is in more than 5,700 feet of water and is about 145 miles southeast of New Orleans. Three subsea wells initially were connected via flow lines to the facility; more are to be added. Murphy holds a 37.5% stake in the project. Partners are Eni and StatoilHydro USA E&P, which each hold a 25% stake, and Marubeni Oil & Gas (USA), which has a 12.5% interest.

FERC Friday issued a favorable draft environmental review of Florida Gas Transmission’s (FGT) proposal to construct 483 miles of pipeline facilities in Alabama, Mississippi and Florida to meet expanding gas-fired power generation demand in the Sunshine State.

FERC Friday issued a favorable draft environmental review of Florida Gas Transmission’s (FGT) proposal to construct 483 miles of pipeline facilities in Alabama, Mississippi and Florida to meet expanding gas-fired power generation demand in the Sunshine State.

Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi, the ranking Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said Monday much of the spending in the $887 billion economic stimulus package would be unnecessary if only Congress had passed the individual spending bills last year to fund federal agencies and programs for fiscal year 2009.