Houston-based Spectra Energy Corp. said Tuesday it has secured one of the three major pipeline systems that move western Canadian crude oil to refineries in the Rockies and Midwest, agreeing to purchase the entire ownership interest in the 1,717-mile Express-Platte Pipeline System. The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2013.
Various
Articles from Various
Pipeliner Plains Buying Crude Rail Terminals
Plains All American Pipeline LP (PAA) is buying three crude oil rail terminals in the Eagle Ford, Bakken and Niobrara producing regions, as well as various contractual arrangements, from U.S. Development Group (USD) for $500 million.
Chesapeake Adds a ‘D’ to NGVs
As natural gas moves into various segments of the transportation sector, there is CNG, LNG and now DNG — diesel natural gas. A unit of Oklahoma-based Chesapeake Energy said Thursday it is offering a conversion kit to allow diesel-powered vehicles to run on DNG.
Colorado Springs, CO, Adopts Fracking Rules
On a 6-3 vote after dozens of citizens and business representatives spoke, the Colorado Springs, CO, City Council late Tuesday night approved rules to allow the use of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in oil and natural gas drilling, mirroring similar statewide rules.
Industry Brief
A trial to determine various parties’ liability for BP plc’s Macondo well blowout in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico in April 2010, which destroyed Transocean Ltd.’s Deepwater Horizon rig and killed 11 men, has been delayed until Feb. 25 from Jan. 14 in New Orleans. U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier cited tourist events — the NFL Super Bowl and the Mardi Gras festival — that would keep New Orleans’ hotels booked. However, Barbier declined to delay a Nov. 8 hearing on a settlement BP reached with the Plaintiff’s Steering Committee, which is composed of private parties (see Daily GPI, March 6). The tentative settlement for $7.8 billion would resolve a “substantial majority of legitimate economic loss and medical claims,” BP said.
Gas Natural’s Maine Pipeline Plan Moves Forward
Gas Natural Inc. has closed on its acquisition of a leasehold interest in a 189-mile pipeline corridor easement in Maine that runs from Searsport to Limestone and various parcels of land, the Mentor, OH-based holding company said Friday. The $4.5 million deal, which included $2.25 million in cash and 210,951 shares of the company’s common stock valued at $10.67/share, closed Sept. 25.
Quicksilver: Longer Laterals, Larger Fracks Slated for Bone Spring
Fort Worth, TX-based Quicksilver Resources Inc. provided an operational update on its recently completed well in the Delaware Basin in West Texas and the completion of an eight-well pad in the Horn River Basin in British Columbia (BC).
Financial Transactions Cut into Chesapeake’s NAV, Says Analyst
Chesapeake Energy Corp. (CHK) is the second largest natural gas producer and one of the largest leaseholders in the United States but its various financial deals have damaged the net asset value (NAV) of its portfolio, according to ITG Investment Research.
Analyst Questions Chesapeake Net Asset Value
Chesapeake Energy Corp.’s (CHK) various financial deals have damaged the net asset value (NAV) of the company’s massive oil and natural gas portfolio, according to ITG Investment Research analysts.
Chesapeake’s ‘Mounting Turmoil’ Cited in S&P Downgrade
Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services (S&P) on Tuesday downgraded the corporate credit rating of Chesapeake Energy Corp. to “BB-” from “BB” and said the outlook was “negative.” The ratings on related entities Chesapeake Midstream Partners LP and Chesapeake Oilfield Operating LLC also were cut because the units are so closely tied to the parent, S&P noted.