Natural gas pipelines, distributors, producers, industrials and a process consumer group are protesting the revised tariff records that Texas Eastern Transmission LP (Tetco) has submitted to FERC, which would exempt it from providing full reservation charge credits to shippers in cases where it is required to interrupt service to comply with new government safety and environmental regulations.
Process
Articles from Process
Columbia Gas Expansion to East Coast OK’d
NiSource Inc. on Friday said it is proceeding with its East Side Expansion project on its Columbia Gas Transmission system to carry Marcellus Shale gas to the East Coast and mid-Atlantic region.
Industry Briefs
Honeywell’s UOP business is buying a 70% stake in Thomas Russell Co., a privately held provider of technology and equipment for natural gas processing and treating. UOP provides process technology, materials and equipment to petroleum refining, petrochemical, and gas processing industries. It will now be able to offer a range of technologies and products that allow shale and conventional natural gas producers to remove contaminants from natural gas and recover high-value natural gas liquids (NGL). Founded in 2002, Tulsa, OK-based Thomas Russell specializes in the design, engineering, fabrication and start-up of skid-mounted modular packaged plants systems for the recovery and upgrading of NGLs. UOP is paying $525 million in cash for the interest and has a right to acquire the remaining 30% stake. Closing, subject to conditions, is expected during the fourth quarter.
Research Seeking Biotechnology Treatment Solution for Frack Wastewater
A University of Minnesota research team is working on a biotechnology-based process to purify wastewater from hydraulic fracturing (fracking) operations.
Pittsburgh Drilling Ordinance Incompatible With Act 13, Say Regulators
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) is warning Pittsburgh officials that several portions of the city’s drilling ordinance are incompatible with Act 13, the state’s omnibus Marcellus Shale law.
Marcellus Region ‘Ripe with Bottlenecks,’ Says Williams CEO
With energy demand high and producers climbing over each other in the Marcellus Shale region, the Northeast remains “ripe with bottlenecks,” and it’s likely to get more congested before natural gas infrastructure is completed, Williams CEO Alan Armstrong said Wednesday.
Industry Brief
West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin announced Friday that the state process has begun to include natural gas vehicles (NGV) on West Virginia’s bid list for 2013 model year vehicles, following a recommendation he received from his NGV Task Force. The contract bid has been included in the state’s current purchasing bulletin, calling for 36 different vehicle models with 10 of those specified as being fueled by compressed natural gas (CNG), an announcement from Tomblin’s office said. The contract is officially out to bid, the first step towards attaining the state’s goal of using its abundant gas supplies to fuel its vehicle fleet, Tomblin said. He also said that the NGV Task Force is exploring potential partnerships “with and among natural gas producers, infrastructure developers, vehicle manufacturers and other industry leaders” to expand the state’s fueling infrastructure for CNG. The Purchasing Division will hold a pre-bid conference Aug. 22 and the bid opening is scheduled for Sept. 6. Additional information is available to prospective bidders by contacting the Purchasing Division at (304) 558-4785 or (304) 558-2306.
People
David Ciarlone, Manager, global energy services, Alcoa Inc., has been named chairman of the Process Gas Consumers Group, filling the vacancy created by the retirement of Alex Strawn. In addition, Audrea Hill, senior director of raw materials / hedging, Potash Corp., has been elected Vice Chair, and Robert Cooper, director of energy, USG Corp., has been elected secretary/treasurer. Strawn, North American energy purchasing manager at Procter & Gamble, had been chairman of the group since 2004.
DCP Midstream Doubling Up for DJ Basin Production
DCP Midstream LLC is in the process of doubling its natural gas processing capacity in the Denver-Julesburg (DJ) Basin by the end of 2014 as drilling and completion technologies unlock more gas, the company said.
North Dakota’s Natural Gas Production to Gain on Oil Long-Term
While oil production in North Dakota could more than quadruple by 2025 to more than 2 million b/d, natural gas could do even better, gaining by nearly six times over current production to 3.1 Bcf/d, according to an analysis commissioned by the state’s Pipeline Authority and performed by Bentek Energy LLC.