Updating

Noble Inc., one of the biggest offshore drilling contractors in the world, is updating its extensive global drilling suite to meet the needs of its clients, a do-over of a strategy from the late 1990s, when offshore rigs were merely upgraded, CEO David Williams said last week.

Noble Inc., one of the biggest offshore drilling contractors in the world, is updating its extensive global drilling suite to meet the needs of its clients, a do-over of a strategy from the late 1990s, when offshore rigs were merely upgraded, CEO David Williams said Thursday.

The Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) on Friday issued a notice of proposed rulemaking aimed at updating its rules covering natural gas pipeline operations to bring them in line with federal safety requirements. The PUC proposal would amend the state’s current pipeline safety rules, but a commission spokesperson said the changes were not prompted by the recent pipeline accidents in North America.

In updating its late-May hurricane forecast for the Atlantic in 2006, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported Tuesday that while it has reduced the number of storms it expects for the season, it still expects a more active than normal season.

In updating its late-May hurricane forecast for the Atlantic in 2006, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported Tuesday that while it has reduced the number of storms it expects for the season, it still expects a more active than normal season.

Updating its April forecast (see Daily GPI, April 10), the Colorado State University forecast team led by Phil Klotzbach and William Gray said the U.S. Atlantic basin likely will experience another active hurricane season, but coastal regions may face fewer major hurricanes making landfall than last year.

Forecasting the rest of the 2005-2006 winter season and updating its spring/summer 2006 outlook, MDA EarthSat Energy Weather said Friday it expects February to revert to colder temperatures for much of the country, while the summer will bring mixed conditions.

Updating its current exploration and production program, Pioneer Natural Resources Co. said Wednesday that it has initiated production from a new natural gas well at its Raptor field in the Falcon Corridor, which is in the East Breaks area in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico.

Updating its estimates for undiscovered technically recoverable resources (UTTR) underlying offshore waters on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), the Minerals Management Service (MMS) said last week that new exploration activities in the Gulf of Mexico and in the Scotian Basin offshore Canada have revealed that there is 12% more recoverable gas than estimated in 2000. The MMS now estimates that there are 76 billion barrels of oil and 406.1 Tcf of recoverable natural gas in federal offshore areas.