Service

XTO Energy Inc.’s natural gas liquids (NGL) recovery facility in Butler County, PA, has entered service processing wet gas from Marcellus and Utica shale drilling in southwestern Pennsylvania.

The Sand Hills and Southern Hills natural gas liquids (NGL) pipelines have entered service, according to DCP Midstream, Phillips 66 and Spectra Energy Corp., which each own a one-third interest in the pipelines. The 720-mile Sand Hills is transporting NGL from the Permian Basin and Eagle Ford Shale. The 800-mile Southern Hills is transporting NGL from production in the Midcontinent. “DCP Midstream will have an integrated NGL pipeline system, consisting of Sand Hills and Southern Hills as well as our interests in the Front Range and Texas Express pipelines, that connect our gathering and processing systems located in most of the major liquids-rich and oil-driven shale plays to growing Gulf Coast markets,” said DCP Midstream CEO Wouter van Kempen.

Inergy LP’s Tres Palacios 20-mile header pipeline extension is now in service, allowing shippers to transport up to 300 MMcf/d of natural gas from the tailgate of Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP’s Houston Central gas processing plant in Colorado County, TX, to the Tres Palacios gas storage facility. The 24-inch diameter extension also enables delivery of gas from the Houston Central plant to any of the 10 interstate and intrastate pipelines interconnected with the Tres Palacios header system. “Beyond providing Eagle Ford Shale producers with significant new market options, we believe our new Houston Central interconnection will increase liquidity at the Tres Palacios hub point for marketers to access supply,” said Bruce Page, Tres Palacios vice president for commercial operations and business development. The Houston Central plant provides 700 MMcf/d of processing capacity and 22,000 b/d of fractionation capacity and is being expanded to process an additional 400-800 MMcf/d of rich gas from the Eagle Ford Shale.

With continued uncertainty over whether a large nuclear generation plant will ever return to service, Southern California Edison Co. (SCE) officials on Friday said summer power supplies will be adequate throughout Southern California. Up to three new or upgraded natural gas-fired plants in the region. totaling more than 1,800 MW, are due to start operations by the end of summer, they said

Cabot Oil & Gas Corp., whose central operations are in the Marcellus Shale, said Monday it plans to use natural gas to power hydraulic fracturing (fracking) equipment in northeastern Pennsylvania.

Columbia Gas Transmission Corp. (CGT), a NiSource Inc. subsidiary, has applied for FERC approval of a pair of projects designed to collectively increase the company’s transportation capacity out of the Marcellus Shale by an additional 444,000 Dth/d.

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.

In one of the biggest natural gas vehicle (NGV) advancements to date, United Parcel Service (UPS) last week said it plans to further transform its nationwide transit fleet by purchasing 700 more liquefied natural gas (LNG) vehicles and spending $18 million to build four LNG fueling stations in Tennessee and Texas by the end of 2014.

United Parcel Service (UPS) on Tuesday said it plans to further transform its nationwide transit fleet by purchasing 700 more liquefied natural gas (LNG) vehicles and spending $18 million to build four fueling stations in Tennessee and Texas by the end of 2014.