World

Kinder Morgan Inc.’s (KMI) acquisition of El Paso Corp. is taking place in a world of growing gas supply from non-historic basins, which is driving the need for new and different infrastructure: gas and liquids pipelines, processing, fractionation, etc. It’s too soon to say how a combined KMI-El Paso will play the infrastructure game, but consolidation among others shouldn’t be a surprise, energy analysts told NGI.

Natural gas production from the nation’s shale plays now accounts for more than one-quarter of U.S. production, compared with 5% in 2007, and is helping to keep gas prices among the lowest in a decade, according to FERC’s Office of Enforcement (OE).

Joseph Martens, who directs the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), is scheduled to answer questions from the public from 9-10 a.m. EDT on Saturday about natural gas drilling and high-volume hydraulic fracturing on CitizensConnect, a website created by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to promote communication with his administration. DEC spokeswoman Emily DeSantis said all questions to Martens would be welcomed. “This is an important issue with great public interest. Commissioner Martens is happy to engage with the public about it.” Questions may be submitted online before Saturday.

NOVA Chemicals Corp. said Tuesday it had signed agreements with three companies for a long-term supply of Marcellus Shale ethane for its thermal cracker facility in Ontario.

North America’s natural gas market is further away from converging with the rest of the world than it was five years ago, an energy analyst with Raymond James & Associates Inc. said last week.

North America’s natural gas market is further away from converging with the rest of the world than it was five years ago, an energy analyst with Raymond James & Associates Inc. said Monday.

Japan, the world’s leading importer of liquefied natural gas (LNG), set a record for using LNG to generate electricity during the first five months of the year in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami, which disabled nuclear facilities in the country, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported.

NuStar Logistics has reactivated and plans to operate its 60-mile Pettus South Pipeline to transport Eagle Ford crude oil to Corpus Christi, TX, part of its agreement with Koch Pipeline Co. LP, a subsidiary of Koch Industries Inc. The move will add 30,000 b/d of capacity to the Koch system, which totals about 540 miles in South Texas. In May 2010 Koch completed projects to expand its crude oil and gas condensates capacity by 25,000 b/d, then added another 50,000 b/d of crude and condensate capacity through an agreement with Arrowhead Pipeline LP in September 2010.

Japan’s Sumitomo Corp. is reportedly looking to add more American shale gas investments to its energy portfolio and is shopping for new opportunities in shale oil, but it might wait to make a move on shale gas until natural gas prices are higher.