Receiving

For Marcellus Shale producers, the gift-receiving season began last week and continues through the end of the year in the form of additional pipeline takeaway capacity. Multiple projects are slated to come online by the end of the year, giving Marcellus producers increased access to markets, and presumably better prices for their gas.

The initial phase of Enterprise Products Partners LP’ Enterprise Crude Houston (Echo) storage terminal is complete and the facility is receiving deliveries of crude oil. Separately, the partnership said its sixth natural gas liquids (NGL) fractionator at Mont Belvieu, TX, has entered operation.

For Marcellus Shale producers, the gift-receiving season begins this week and continues through the end of the year in the form of additional pipeline takeaway capacity. Multiple projects are slated to come online between Thursday and the end of the year, giving Marcellus producers increased access to markets, and presumably better prices for their gas.

Golden Pass Products LLC has applied to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the Golden Pass LNG receiving terminal at Sabine Pass, TX, to countries with which the United States has a free trade agreement (FTA). The application joins those of several other parties to do the same.

Fuel cells that use natural gas to chemically produce electricity with small onsite distributed generation units are receiving increased attention because of low natural gas prices, according to Danbury, CT-based FuelCell Energy Inc. (FCEL), a leading manufacturer of gas-based units that are up to 2.8 MW in size.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Friday that a fourth and final round of testing indicates that water from 12 private wells in Dimock Township, PA is safe to drink, and found no evidence of contamination from natural gas drilling.

Joining the months-long trend in the industry of transitioning from dry natural gas targets to more liquids-rich plays due to market economics, Dallas-based Matador Resources Co. said recently its 2012 plans will target the Eagle Ford Shale of South Texas while ramping down the development of its Haynesville Shale acreage in North Louisiana.

Shale and liquids-rich production will be the primary focus for Anadarko Petroleum Corp. this year, with dry natural gas efforts receiving less than 10% of its 2012 exploration and production budget, the Houston-based company said Tuesday.

After receiving clearance from the Federal Regulatory Commission, Empire Pipeline Inc. has placed its Tioga County Extension in service to transport Marcellus Shale production in Pennsylvania to the U.S.-Canadian border.