Process

Natural gas from the Marcellus Shale could be the answer to Pennsylvania’s energy problems, “should we choose to embrace it,” according to former Gov. Ed Rendell.

In a story published in April, BP Expanding in GOM Deepwater, the initial gas processing capacity from the Mad Dog field was incorrectly stated (see NGI, April 16). The platform initially was designed to process up to 60 MMcf/d of gas and up to 100,000 b/d of oil. NGI regrets the error.

Although keeping a lid on the details of the deal for now, Rex Energy Corp. said the Utica Shale joint venture it recently entered into with MFC Drilling Inc. and Abarta Oil & Gas Co. Inc. requires it to drill and complete one well and begin drilling two others by Nov. 15, and requires three additional wells each year until the company satisfies the carry obligation. The JV covers a three county region of eastern Ohio.

As part of lackluster first quarter results released Wednesday, Hess Corp. said it doesn’t expect to meet production targets in the Bakken Shale this year, but warned analysts to be patient with the company while it shifts its focus from international basins toward its three liquids rich shale plays in the United States.

Energy Transfer Equity LP’s Trunkline LNG Co., Trunkline LNG Export and Trunkline Gas Co. units have filed to initiate the prefiling review process with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for their plan to build a natural gas liquefaction project in Lake Charles, LA.

Ohio is a “long shot” for a world class ethane cracker planned for Appalachia, but the state would still benefit if the facility lands anywhere in the region, Ohio Gov. John Kasich said Tuesday.

Extracting natural gas from shale formations using hydraulic fracturing (fracking) “has no direct connection” to groundwater contamination reports, based on a study of three big shale gas plays in the United States, the Energy Institute at the University of Texas at Austin (UT) said in a new report.

With stranded ethane in the Appalachian Basin starting to find markets, Sunoco Logistics Partners LP is looking at ways to move other natural gas liquids (NGL) from the region.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is slowing the permitting process for oil and gas projects that disturb significant amounts of land.