Sempra on Monday gave the green light to the first phase of the $13 billion Port Arthur LNG export project in Texas, announcing a positive final investment decision (FID) for the facility and closing the necessary financing to move ahead. The company said it also issued a final notice to proceed with the project to…
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Articles from Texas

Texas Natural Gas, Oil Employment Continues Rally as ‘Strong Demand for Talent’ Still Seen
Upstream oil and natural gas employment in Texas rose by 13.7% year/year in January to a total of 198,100 jobs, according to the Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association (TIPRO). The figure was up by 1,700 jobs versus December 2022, the group said, citing data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The…

Pioneer’s Sheffield Predicting $90 to $100 Oil Price by Early Summer
Pioneer Natural Resources Co. CEO Scott Sheffield expressed a bullish oil price outlook on Thursday (Feb. 23) during the company’s fourth quarter earnings call. Irving, TX-based Pioneer is the largest producer in the Permian Basin, with operations focused on the Midland sub-basin. “We remain highly constructive on oil prices,” Sheffield told analysts. “I’m still very…

Freeport LNG Cleared to Restart Commercial Operations Eight Months After Explosion
Freeport LNG Development LP on Tuesday won approval from federal regulators to restart commercial operations and said it would ramp up to 2 Bcf/d of production, enough to meet its long-term contracts in the coming weeks. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission authorized full service to resume on two liquefaction trains eight months after an explosion…

Natural Gas Storage Said ‘National Security Issue’ in Mexico
The lack of available storage options for natural gas and fuels continues to challenge the Mexican energy industry, leaving the country vulnerable in the event of supply interruptions, such as aberrational weather or unforeseen outages, executives said last week. Speaking at the 8th Mexico Infrastructure Projects Forum in Monterrey, stakeholders in Mexico’s government and private…

Texas Broke Natural Gas Production Record in 2022, with Further Growth Expected
Texas produced 11.2 Tcf of natural gas last year, a new record, according to the Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association (TIPRO). Natural gas production in Texas dwarfed other states. Pennsylvania at 7.6 Tcf was the second highest producer in 2022, followed by Alaska (3.6 Tcf), Louisiana (3.6 Tcf) and Oklahoma (2.7 Tcf). In…

Freeport LNG Seeks Approval to Begin Restart of 2.38 Bcf/d Facility
After months of repair work and documentation, Freeport LNG Development LP has formally asked federal regulators to allow preliminary work to restart the 2.38 Bcf/d terminal, according to FERC filings. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission staff published Monday a request submitted by the Houston-based company requesting permission to begin reintroducing liquefied natural gas through its Loop…

Lower 48 Natural Gas, Oil Permitting Rebounds in December, Led by Texas and Wyoming
U.S. natural gas and oil drilling permit activity ended the year surpassing expectations, climbing 13% in December or up by 389 permits from November, according to Evercore ISI. The energy analyst team led by James West compiles domestic permitting figures using state and federal data. Lower 48 permits often are issued three to six months…

Water Permit Challenge Against Rio Grande LNG, Pipeline Project Tossed
Work for the Rio Grande LNG terminal and related Rio Bravo Pipeline proposed by NextDecade Corp. in South Texas may proceed after a challenge against the water permits was dismissed. The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit last Thursday said a claim brought by a Rio Grande Valley fishermen association and environmental…

FERC, NERC and Texas RRC Probing Power Systems Issues Following Winter Storm Elliott
Federal energy regulators have launched an inquiry into bulk power systems operations during the extreme weather conditions wrought by Winter Storm Elliott. FERC, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) and NERC’s regional entities said the joint inquiry would review the “severe cold weather” over the Christmas weekend that “contributed to power outages affecting millions…