Wellhead

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has significantly revised downward its estimate for the past two decades of methane emissions from U.S. natural gas systems from the wellhead to the burnertip.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has significantly revised downward its estimate of methane emissions from natural gas systems from the wellhead to the burnertip in the United States.

Spectra Energy Corp. is taking a one-third interest in the Sand Hills and Southern Hills pipelines, both of which are under construction by DCP Midstream LLC, a joint venture of Spectra and Phillips 66. The deal is expected to close by the end of November when Spectra, Phillips 66 and DCP Midstream each would own one-third of the pipelines and equally fund their completion. The aggregate investment by Spectra is expected to be $700-800 million. Sand Hills, which would take natural gas liquids from the Permian Basin and Eagle Ford Shale to Gulf Coast markets, would have an initial capacity of 200,000 b/d and be expandable to 350,000 b/d. The first phase recently came online and connection to Mont Belvieu, TX, is expected by year-end (see Shale Daily, Oct. 29). The timing of Sand Hills’ second phase, the Permian portion of the pipeline, has advanced and is due to be in service in 2Q2013. Southern Hills would provide 150,000 b/d, expandable to 175,000 b/d, of capacity from the Midcontinent to Mont Belvieu and has a targeted in-service date of mid-2013.

In the midst of its improbable oil and natural gas boom, North Dakota is coming clean on a dirty little secret — flaring of more than one-third of its gas supplies produced in its rapidly expanding Bakken Shale formation’s record-breaking oil production. While the latest analyses look closely at North Dakota’s experience there is no exact measurement of how much of the nation’s flaring is centered there; a reasonable guess is 25%, sources say.

For Apache Corp., whose drilling operations ramped up in 1955 in the Cushing field of Oklahoma, home is now the sweetest place to be, CEO Steve Farris said Thursday.

As the summer recess approaches, Pennsylvania is flooded with proposals to tax the Marcellus Shale industry.

Regency Energy Partners LP said it will spend about $450 million to construct a wellhead gathering system and other infrastructure in order to serve an undisclosed producer in the Eagle Ford Shale with gas and condensate gathering.

The Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) projections for wellhead natural gas prices, consumption, production and imports in its annual energy outlook report for 2009 turned out to be pretty much on target, according to an agency review.

The Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) projections for wellhead natural gas prices, consumption, production and imports in its annual energy outlook report for 2009 turned out to be pretty much on target, according to an agency review.