A seemingly on- and off-again project to build a new interstate pipeline connection for the Portland, OR, metropolitan area is currently very much on and eyeing market and regulatory milestones in the first half of this year, according to senior executives at NW Natural.
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The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Hanford nuclear compound in Washington state is in the very early stages of planning to run a six-inch diameter natural gas pipeline under the Columbia River to supply a massive wastewater treatment plant during the next eight years. The 28.5-mile, $22 million project would be facilitated with the local utility Cascade Natural Gas Co., tying into its existing pipeline system on the Oregon side of the river and then connecting to the still-to-be-built water treatment facility. The plant was originally planned to operate with diesel, but the proposed pipeline would permit it to have dual fuel capability, operating mostly on natural gas, a Hanford facility spokesperson said. The gas line would provide more cost savings and environmental advantages, greatly reducing the proposed plant’s greenhouse gas emissions. “The gas also can help support steam generation for [onsite] electricity and also heat for 11 different facilities,” he said. Plans call for the pipeline to be permitted and built during the next four years, and the wastewater plant to begin operation in 2019, turning high-level waste into glass. “It’s really a glass-making plant,” the spokesperson said.
Bentek Predicts Record Storage in Fall
“Very weak gas prices” are in the offing as drilling to hold leases, cost-carry joint ventures and the disparity between oil and gas prices “are expected to push gas production so high that it causes some regional storage and pipeline constraints…” Bentek Energy LLC said in its latest Market Alert.
Bentek: Price Pain, Then ‘Sustainable Growth’
“Very weak gas prices” are in the offing as drilling to hold leases, cost-carry joint ventures and the disparity between oil and gas prices “are expected to push gas production so high that it causes some regional storage and pipeline constraints…” Bentek Energy LLC said in its latest Market Alert.
Ohio’s Incoming Governor Says Marcellus Shale Could Be ‘Godsend’
Ohio will devote time and effort to take part in the Marcellus Shale drilling boom, Gov.-elect John Kasich said last week.
Price Advance Largely Stalls Except in Northeast
The attack of very cold weather that gave a strong price-boosting start to the cash market as the week began lost quite a bit of its bullish influence Tuesday. Even the previous day’s prompt-month futures gain of 13.9 cents and the lingering effect of widespread freezing lows were unable to keep cash numbers from mixed movement and staying close to either side of flat.
Canada’s NEB to Crack Down on Shale Gas Regulations
U.S. safety and environmental concerns are spreading north across the border into Canada, where the National Energy Board (NEB) is stepping up scrutiny of natural gas and oil operations from exploration to transportation.
Futures Make Another New Low; Is $2.409 Back in Play?
Natural gas futures bears were still very much in the driver’s seat after the November futures contract on Friday recorded the fourth new low for the downtrend, just in the past week. The front-month contract recorded a low of $3.290 before closing the regular session at $3.332, down 3.6 cents from Thursday and 20.3 cents lower than the previous week’s finish.
U.S., Foreign Regulators Seek to Mesh Financial Reform Rules
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is working “very closely” with international regulators to ensure that financial reforms that are implemented in the United States are consistent with those in foreign markets, said Chairman Gary Gensler.
Chances Fading for Pennsylvania Severance Tax
Republicans and fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats could very well kill the plans of Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell to levy a severance tax on gas produced from the state’s portion of the prolific Marcellus Shale play.