nymex settlement

Would-be exporters of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Canada’s west coast and from the Lower 48 face multiple challenges. Up north the main worry is pricing and securing contracts to support the project, while down south the main threat is of a regulatory/political nature, according to an analysis by the International Gas Union (IGU).

Barclays Capital’s energy analysts see the potential for natural gas production from the Marcellus and Utica shales to jump by 3.6 Bcf/d year/year (y/y) in 2013 and almost as much again by the end of 2014.

Units ofKinder Morgan’sEl Paso Pipeline Partners LPsaid recent open seasons proved successful to provide incremental long-term transportation capacity from the Marcellus Shale region to serve markets in Georgia, South Carolina and northern Florida.Elba Express Co. LLC(EEC) andSouthern Natural Gas Co. LLC(SNG) completed open seasons for almost 600 MMcf/d of capacity to support southeastern infrastructure growth, and they attracted interest in 400 MMcf/d of potential additional capacity, which would bring the total expansion to as much as 1 Bcf/d. The north-to-south expansion capacity on the EEC system, including interconnects and delivery points, is expected to become available in phases, with service as early as June 2016 and all phases in service by about April 2019. Total capital invested by SNG and EEC to accommodate the initial phase of 600 MMcf/d is expected to exceed $200 million.

Backers of liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects have been clamoring for permits at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), but they and export opponents have also been begging for clarity on the approval process. They should have it, said the Brookings Institution.

Production of crude oil, natural gas and condensate out of the Barnett Shale all continued to decline in June compared to both the previous month and to June 2012, according to data from the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC).

PG&E Corp. CEO Anthony Earley in a Wall Street interview last Wednesday held out the possibility of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy by the company’s San Francisco-based combination utility, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E), if a proposed $2.25 billion penalty is upheld by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).

Activist investor Carl Icahn’s love/hate relationship with Chesapeake Energy Corp. appears to be more like than not after he increased his stake in the company, according to a regulatory filing.

TransCanada Corp.’s proposal to convert a portion of its natural gas Mainline to oil received a national political boost last Thursday in a report concerning petroleum transport by the Canadian Senate’s energy, environment and natural resources committee.

Not all of the lobbying groups in Washington, DC, believe that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is destined to become more proactive on energy if former Colorado regulator Ron Binz is confirmed as chairman.