Season

The first two months of the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season have been relatively quiet, but the peak mid-August through October portion of the season remains on track for above-normal tropical storm activity, according to forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

NuStar Crude Oil Pipeline LP is holding a binding open season through Aug. 30 for capacity to transport Eagle Ford Shale crude oil from several terminal locations on its South Texas Crude Oil Pipeline System in Frio, McMullen, and La Salle counties, TX, to its Corpus Christi, TX, North Beach facility. The proposed South Texas System Project would include pipeline capacity upgrades to the segments of the South Texas System between NuStar’s Gardendale Terminal in La Salle County and NuStar’s Corpus Christi Terminal in Nueces County, TX, and would be constructed in two phases. The first phase would add incremental capacity to the South Texas System of 35,000 b/d; the second phase would add incremental capacity to the South Texas System of 65,000 b/d. For information, contact Mark Meador or Rick Webb at (210) 918-2000.

Tennessee Gas Pipeline has launched an open season through July 31 for firm natural gas transportation capacity on the Connecticut Expansion Project, which would deliver gas from its existing interconnect with Iroquois Gas Transmission in Wright, NY, to Zone 6 delivery points on Tennessee’s 200 and 300 Lines in Connecticut. The project, which would require upgrades and modifications to the existing pipeline system in New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut, is slated for service by November 2016. Available capacity would be about 72,100 Dth/d. The pipeline has entered into binding precedent agreements with three anchor shippers. Inexpensive shale gas has recently caught the attention of the Constitution State. In June Connecticut gas distribution utilities Yankee Gas, Connecticut Natural Gas and Southern Connecticut Gas, filed a joint gas expansion plan with the state’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (see NGI, June 24). The plan outlines how the utilities would meet expansion goals proposed in the Gov. Dannel Malloy’s comprehensive energy strategy and the the recently enacted HB 6360 (see NGI, March 18). The utilities plan a “structured approach” to add 280,000 new gas heating customers over the next 10 years.

Nearly two months after securing Mitsubishi Corp. as its foundation shipper, Tennessee Gas Pipeline is holding an open season through Aug. 9 for its 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 proposed Cameron LNG export terminal in Hackberry, LA.

Sunoco Logistics Partners’ Sunoco Pipeline is holding a binding open season for its Granite Wash Extension pipeline to provide crude oil takeaway capacity for growing production from the Granite Wash Shale in the northeastern Texas Panhandle and portions of western Oklahoma. The pipeline would originate in Wheeler County, TX, and terminate in Ringgold, TX, where it would interconnect with an existing Sunoco Logistics pipeline with the ability to provide transportation to Corsicana, TX. From Corsicana, access to multiple Sunoco Logistics and third-party pipelines would provide producers the ability to reach various markets and refineries on the Gulf Coast and in the Midcontinent. The partnership would lay 200 miles of new pipeline and construct pump stations, tankage and truck unloading facilities. The Granite Wash Extension is anticipated to have an initial capacity of 70,000 b/d to Ringgold and is expected to be operational in the fourth quarter of 2014.

Enterprise Products Partners LP is holding a binding open season from June 5 through July 11 for capacity to transport propane to Mont Belvieu, TX, on the Appalachia-to-Texas (ATEX) pipeline. The ATEX pipeline has long-term contracts in place for ethane transportation to Mont Belvieu. The addition of propane service will not impact Enterprise’s obligations to ethane shippers. To accommodate propane shipments, Enterprise would loop a portion of ATEX, add pumping capacity and install additional facilities for the delivery of specification ethane and propane at destination points. “Transporting propane to Mont Belvieu, the largest, most liquid trading and storage hub, will provide northeast producers with a reliable outlet for their excess propane and help maximize the value of their production,” said Michael Creel, CEO of Enterprise’s general partner. For information, contact Russ Kovin at (713) 381-7925, or rkovin@eprod.com.

Crosstex NGL Pipeline LP is holding a binding open season through June 21 for capacity on a new natural gas liquids (NGL) pipeline system (the Crosstex NGL Pipeline) to transport unfractionated NGLs produced in the Permian Basin, Barnett Shale, Eagle Ford Shale and other areas from the Mont Belvieu, TX, area to NGL fractionation facilities in Acadia and Ascension Parishes, LA, for about one year and to NGL fractionation facilities in Acadia and Iberville Parishes, LA, thereafter. The pipeline is expected to have a preliminary design capacity to Acadia Parish of 77,000 b/d for the first year and is expected to reach 132,000 b/d thereafter. For information, contact Terry Brown at (214) 953-9510, or terry.brown@crosstexenergy.com.

The Millennium Pipeline Co. is holding a nonbinding open season through May 31 for firm transportation service under its existing rate schedule FT-1 to be made available with existing capacity and construction of at least one compressor station and 60 miles of new pipeline that would connect to the Dominion Transmission system near Cortland, NY, and the Tennessee Gas Pipeline System near Syracuse, NY. For information, contact Stan Brownell, brownell@millenniumpipeline.com.

PAA Natural Gas Storage, parent of Pine Prairie Energy Center, on Monday said it successfully completed a nonbinding open season for bids on an aggregate of 12.5 Bcf of firm storage capacity with a starting date of April 1 during 2015, 2016 and 2017.