Southeastern

Newfield Exploration Co. and MarkWest Energy Partners LP agreed to construct and operate a gathering system for development of Newfield’s Woodford Shale play in southeastern Oklahoma’s Arkoma Basin.

Houston-based Eagle Rock Energy has acquired the Brookeland natural gas processing plant and Masters Creek gathering system in southeastern Texas and Louisiana from Duke Energy Field Services for an undisclosed amount.

El Paso’s Southern Natural pipeline, which serves the southeastern United States, is increasing access to liquefied natural gas (LNG) arriving from Trinidad at El Paso’s Elba Island import terminal near Savannah, GA, this winter to make up for at least part of the natural gas production that has been lost since the twin hurricanes battered the Gulf Coast.

In order to avoid the volatile spot market and lock in a discount on gas supply, Public Gas Partners, Inc. (PGP), a non-profit gas agency formed a year ago by seven southeastern municipal utilities, said Tuesday that it purchased 115 Bcfe of proved natural gas reserves (73% proved, developed and producing) and 30 Bcfe of probable and possible reserves in four gas transactions at a total cost of about $330 million.

It was deja vu all over again, as Hurricane Rita slowly churned into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico as a Category Two storm after dumping heavy rain in the Florida Keys on Tuesday. The storm is expected to intensify into a Category Three and its center was projected to reach the middle of the production area off Texas sometime Friday. In preparation, energy companies were stepping up offshore evacuations.

Duke Energy Gas Transmission (DEGT) completed its $62 million purchase of the remaining stake in the Saltville storage facility in southeastern Virginia from AGL Resources. With AGL’s 50% stake, Duke now owns the entire high-deliverability storage project, which it plans to continue expanding to serve growing demand and liquefied natural gas imports in the Mid Atlantic region.

ENSTAR Natural Gas Co., which delivers natural gas to about 327,000 customers in Alaska, may consider importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) to deal with projected shortages in the southeastern part of the state, the president said earlier this week.

ScottishPower subsidiary PPM Energy announced the purchase of the 4.5 Bcf Grama Ridge gas storage field in southeastern New Mexico from ConocoPhillips last week and launched plans for a storage expansion at Grama Ridge and at PPM’s proposed Waha storage field, which is currently on file at the Texas Railroad Commission.

ScottishPower subsidiary PPM Energy announced the purchase of the 4.5 Bcf Grama Ridge gas storage field in southeastern New Mexico from ConocoPhillips on Thursday and launched plans for a storage expansion at Grama Ridge and at PPM’s proposed Waha storage field, which is currently on file at the Texas Railroad Commission.