FERC on Friday issued certificates for two Dominion Transmission Inc. (DTI) Marcellus Shale-related projects in Pennsylvania and New York: the Tioga Area Expansion Project and the Sabinsville-to-Morrisville Project.
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North Dakota Prices, Drilling Decline, But Production Climbs
While drilling, prices and permitting all declined in North Dakota, natural gas and oil production set new monthly records, according to the most recent statistics compiled at the end of October in a Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) report released Monday.
Industry Brief
Xcel Energy’s combination Colorado utility filed quarterly rate changes with state regulators that could result in monthly retail natural gas utility bills dropping by up to 8% compared to the first quarter this year. The rate for residential natural gas customers would drop 6.9% from 52.06 cents/therm in1Q2012 to 45.17 cents/therm in 1Q2013; for small businesses, rates would drop 8% from 52.28 cents/therm to 44.82 cents/therm. The Denver-based utility is asking the Colorado Public Utilities Commission for the changes to be effective Jan. 1.
North Dakota Production Growth Slowed
The latest monthly totals for oil and natural gas production in North Dakota show continued growth in September, albeit at a slower pace than previous months, a report from the state Industrial Commission’s Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) showed Tuesday.
Study: Residential Gas Bills Lower, Customers Happier
The average monthly bill of residential customers of natural gas utilities declined for a fourth consecutive year and — perhaps not coincidentally — customer satisfaction increased by seven points compared to last year, according to J.D. Power and Associates’ 2012 Gas Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study.
North Dakota DMR Chief Sees Rising Idle Well Count, More Efficient Rigs
Mixed with the solid reviews about all-time record highs for monthly natural gas and oil production in North Dakota’s Bakken Shale and Williston Basin region, the director of the state’s Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) sounded words of caution that the drilling boom is showing signs of easing, but not because production has slowed much.
Survey: Residential Gas Bills Lower, Customers Happier
The average monthly bill of residential customers of natural gas utilities declined for a fourth consecutive year and — perhaps not coincidentally — customer satisfaction increased by seven points compared to last year, according to J.D. Power and Associates’ 2012 Gas Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study.
Significant Drilling Decline in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus, Utica Shales
While natural gas production is booming in Pennsylvania, applications to drill unconventional wells in the state appear to have fallen off a cliff in the last three months while the number of wells spudded has been slowly declining for almost a year, indicating producers in the Marcellus and Utica shales have gotten the gas glut message.
AccuWeather.com: El Nino Could Push Heavy Snow East This Winter
The country may be suffering through one of its worst droughts in decades and record high temperatures are being recorded on a monthly basis, but portions of the eastern United States can expect above-normal snowfall during the 2012-2013 winter season, according to forecasters at AccuWeather.com.
Industry Briefs
Natural gas production in the Lower 48 states was 71.76 Bcf/d in March, a 0.26 Bcf/d (0.4%) decrease compared with 72.02 Bcf/d in February, according to the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) latest Monthly Natural Gas Gross Production report. Texas had the largest decline at 0.15 Bcf/d (0.7%) as several operators reported shut-ins for well maintenance, EIA said. Declines in Louisiana (0.09 Bcf/d, or 1.1%) and New Mexico (0.08 Bcf/d, or 2.2%) were partially explained by well maintenance “and a few operators who cited low prices as a reason for limiting their production,” EIA said. Federal Offshore Gulf of Mexico production was 4.69 Bcf/d in March, a 0.16 Bcf/d (3.5%) increase compared with 4.53 Bcf/d in February, as production from shut-in wells resumed, EIA said. Production was down in every other category in March compared with the previous month — including the U.S. total, which was 81.75 Bcf/d (a 0.4% decline) — according to the report. Production in the “other states” category was 21.67 Bcf/d, a 0.2% decrease compared with 21.72 Bcf/d in February. Alaska production was 9.99 Bcf/d (down 0.5%); Oklahoma was 5.31 Bcf/d (down 0.2%) and Wyoming was 6.42% (down 0.6%).