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Consol Energy Inc. has opened a water treatment plant near Mannington, WV, that will be used to treat up to 3,500 gallons per minute of water from coal mines, some of which could be put to use in hydraulic fracturing (fracking) operations in the area.

In its latest Short Term Energy Outlook (STEO), the Energy Information Administration (EIA) nudged down is Henry Hub natural gas price forecast for this year and next and predicted that coal-fired power plants will retain their recent gains over gas-fueled facilities. The gas production outlook held steady with last month’s STEO.

A state-of-the-art terminal in northwestern Alberta to provide sand for unconventional drilling operations is set to open this November, Edmonton-based Di-Corp said Wednesday.

Natural gas cash market quotes were on average nearly 5 cents lower Tuesday for Wednesday delivery as near-term weather patterns showed moderation in key eastern energy-consuming regions. Northeast locations led the trend lower, but major market centers nationally were lower as well. At the close of trading, July futures had fallen 7.6 cents to $3.724, and August was off 7.8 cents to $3.743. July crude oil declined 39 cents to $95.38/bbl.

Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP’s Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co. LLC (TGP) has signed a binding, 20-year firm transportation precedent agreement with Mitsubishi Corp. of Japanto ship 600,000 Dth/d of natural gas earmarked for the proposed Cameron LNG liquefaction facility in Hackberry, LA, which is slated to begin liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports in the second half of 2017. Mitsubishi will serve as the foundation shipper for TGP’s Southwest Louisiana Supply Project, which is designed to provide transportation from various supply basins in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Louisiana to Cameron Interstate Pipeline, which connects directly to the Cameron LNG Terminal. Kinder does not own Cameron Interstate Pipeline or the Cameron LNG facility. Sempra Energy, Mitsubishi and Mitsui & Co. Ltd. recently signed 20-year tolling capacity and joint venture agreements for the terminal (see Daily GPI, May 17). “TGP’s unique footprint, connecting key conventional and shale supply areas from the South Texas Eagle Ford to the Utica and Marcellus in Ohio and Pennsylvania, and access to the Haynesville Shale supply area and the Perryville Hub in Louisiana, makes our Southwest Louisiana Supply Project an ideal fit to serve the future supply needs of Mitsubishi Corp. and the planned Cameron LNG complex,” said TGP President Kimberly Watson.

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.

Apache Corp., which now claims to be the second biggest North American onshore operator, reported a 45% increase in total liquids output year/year in the United States and Canada, driven by a revamped drilling program in the legacy Permian and Anadarko basins.

A cold beginning to spring that resulted in a tepid start to the natural gas storage refill season has analysts at the Energy Information Administration (EIA) once again revising their natural gas price forecasts upward for the rest of 2013 and 2014. The government agency added that strong onshore production growth will offset Gulf of Mexico declines in both years.

Enbridge Energy Partners LP plans to construct a 150 MMcf/d cryogenic gas processing plant near Beckville in Panola County, TX, that would expand the partnership’s processing capacity to 820 MMcf/d in the Cotton Valley and Haynesville Shale regions. The plant, expected to cost $140 million, is to be located in the heart of the rich gas Cotton Valley, would interconnect with existing natural gas liquids infrastructure. Construction is to begin late this year with start-up in early 2015.