Pipelines
Pipelines to restore harmony
The Eastern Mediterranean region has been a much-discussed area in recent months, with claim and counterclaim flying around. Turkey has managed to antagonize almost every nation in the region at some point, inparticular neighbouring countries Greece and Cyprus, with its maritime claims and offshore surveys and drilling. It even threatened to suspend diplomatic relations with the UAE over their proposed deal with Israel. However, beyond the geopolitics, 2 pipeline projects may restore some semblance of harmony in the near future.
Illinois Approves Expansion of Dakota Access Oil Pipeline
NEW YORK (Reuters) — Illinois regulators late on Wednesday approved an expansion of the Dakota Access oil pipeline, the largest pipeline running out of North Dakota’s Bakken shale basin, rejecting a bid by environmental groups to block the project.
Trans Mountain Agrees to Reroute Pipeline Around Indigenous Area
(P&GJ) — The Trans Mountain pipeline has agreed to reroute a portion of its expansion project around an indigenous area, according to a filing with Canadian energy regulators.
BP Says Trans Adriatic Pipeline to be Ready by End of 2020
BAKU (Reuters) — Oil major BP has confirmed plans to start shipping natural gas from Azerbaijan to Europe by the end of the year.
Saudi Aramco, Investors Discussing $10 Billion Pipeline Deal — Sources
DUBAI (Reuters) — Saudi Aramco is in talks with BlackRock and other investors on a planned deal worth over $10 billion to sell a stake in its pipeline business, sources said.
Equitrans to Evaluate Mountain Valley Pipeline Cost, Timing
(Reuters) — Equitrans Midstream Corp said on Monday it will evaluate the cost and timing of the completion of the Mountain Valley natural gas pipeline based on ongoing litigation and upcoming federal approvals.
NextDecade on Track for Rio Grande Facility FID in 2021
(P&GJ) — U.S. liquefied natural gas developer NextDecade said in a press release on Thursday that the company still expects to make a final investment decision (FID) on its proposed Rio Grande LNG export facility in 2021.
US brings 5 Bcf/d of pipeline capacity online and cuts planned projects
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported that an estimated 5 Bcf/d of new natural gas pipeline capacity came online in the first half of 2020 due to the completion of several major pipelines.
Denmark Approves Nord Stream 2 Pipeline
(P&GJ) — Denmark’s energy industry announced its approval for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to operate in Danish waters of the Baltic Sea, clearing one of the last remaining hurdles for the Russian project.
Anatomy of Frustration: Atlantic Coast and Dakota Access Pipelines
Immediately after the July 4th holiday, with COVID-19 resurging through parts of America, several indelible milestones marked the U.S. pipeline industry as another kind of scourge.
Ingleside Pipeline Begins Shipping to Moda's Ingleside Energy Center
(P&GJ) — Harvest Midstream announced the successful commissioning this week of two connections between Harvest’s Ingleside Pipeline and Moda Midstream.
Mountain Valley Seeks U.S. Approval to Resume Pipeline Construction
(Reuters) - Mountain Valley Pipeline asked federal regulators for permission to resume construction on the $5.4-$5.7 billion pipeline from West Virginia to Virginia by Sept. 25.
Argentina Pitches Pipeline to Brazil for Vaca Muerta Shale Gas
BRASILIA (Reuters) — Argentina is making a new push to pitch the building of a multibillion-dollar gas pipeline from its Vaca Muerta shale gas reserves to Brazil, and is seeking financing for the project, a source at the Argentine embassy said on Monday.
Uganda, Tanzania Sign Agreement for Pipeline Construction
(P&GJ) — Tanzania and Uganda signed an agreement on Sunday paving the way for the construction of a crude oil pipeline running from Ugandan oilfields to the Tanzanian port of Tanga, a Tanzanian government spokesman said.
Enterprise Abandons Texas Pipeline Project as Oil Prices Remain Weak
(Reuters) — Enterprise Products Partners LP on Wednesday abandoned a major 450,000-barrel-per-day Permian crude pipeline project in Texas and agreed to give customers lower near-term commitments on other pipelines as oil prices remain stagnant.
San Mateo Midstream Provides Pipeline, Black River LNG Updates
(P&GJ) — San Mateo Midstream has announced updates on several pipeline construction projects as well as the completion of is expansion of the Black River LNG plant in Eddy County, New Mexico.
A Little Good News from Back East
The pipeline industry in the U.S. Northeast finally got some positive news on the permitting front, when New Jersey Natural Gas (NJNG) received the go-ahead to move forward with construction work on a controversial 30-mile (48-km) section of the Southern Reliability Link (SRL) pipeline in New Jersey.
Oil firms ready to pick up the infrastructure divestment pace
Pipelines, storage facilities and processing plants could replace non-advantaged production as prime candidates Oil and gas producing firms create the most value by exploring for, developing and producing hydrocarbons. Internal rates of return (IRRs) far in excess of 20pc are the norm for successful upstream projects.
End of an Era? Series of Setbacks Bode ill for Big Pipeline Projects
WASHINGTON/NEW YORK — A rapid-fire succession of setbacks for big energy pipelines in the United States this week has revealed an uncomfortable truth for the oil and gas industry: environmental activists and landowners opposed to projects have become good at blocking them in court.
Caution creeps into investors’ oil and gas infrastructure appetite
The US downturn and the inexorable rise of ESG concerns are clouds on the horizon even for traditionally low-risk energy investments Infrastructure assets have remained relatively immune to the negative sentiment from investors towards fossil fuels—good news for IOCs looking to sell off non-core pipelines, processing plants and storage tanks to generate cash. But this immunity may be waning. Investors like the steady source of revenue from these assets, which help to diversify their investment portfolios and can provide some protection from low oil prices.
Developers Cancel Long-Delayed Atlantic Coast Pipeline
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The developers of the long-delayed, $8 billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline announced the cancellation of the multi-state natural gas project Sunday, citing uncertainties about costs, permitting and litigation.
Equinor Plans UK Project to Produce Hydrogen from Natural Gas
Equinor is leading a project to build a plant in Britain that will produce hydrogen from natural gas in combination with carbon capture and storage, with pipelines to transport hydrogen for use by multiple industry and power customers.
Tallgrass Energy Cheyenne Connector Pipeline Enters Service
(P&GJ) — Tallgrass Energy announced that both the Cheyenne Connector pipeline and the Rockies Express Pipeline (REX) Cheyenne Hub Enhancement Project will commence commercial service effective June 26, 2020, having obtained approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on June 24, 2020.
TC Energy Selects Michels Canada to Build Keystone XL Pipeline in Canada
(P&GJ) — Michels Canada has been awarded the contract from TC Energy to construct approximately 260 kilometers (162 miles) of the Keystone XL Pipeline Project in Alberta, Canada.
Trans Adriatic Pipeline Enters Initial Testing Phase
(P&GJ) — The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) has introduced the first natural gas into a 2.5-mile (4-km) section of the pipeline at the Greek-Albanian border as it prepares for first gas deliveries to Europe by the end of 2020.
Bulgaria's State Gas Firm Seeks Loans for Pipeline Construction
SOFIA, June 5 (Reuters) - Bulgaria's state gas firm Bulgartransgaz is seeking up to 400 million euros ($453 million) to finance an extension of the TurkStream gas pipeline and other gas projects in the Balkan country, it said on Friday.
Golden Pass Seeks to Boost Capacity at Texas LNG Plant
(Reuters) — Golden Pass LNG sought permission from U.S. federal energy regulators to boost the capacity of the company’s $10 billion export terminal under construction in Texas to 18.1 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) from 15.6 MTPA.
Bulgaria Still Aims to Complete TurkStream Pipeline Extension by Year-End
LETNITSA, Bulgaria (Reuters) — Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said on Monday he hoped that the Balkan Stream natural gas pipeline - an extension of Russia's TurkStream - would still be ready by the end of the year despite construction delays due to the coronavirus crisis.
More Pipelines Are Needed for India to Increase LNG Imports — EIA Report
(P&GJ) — Data compiled by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) shows that as India continues to increase its imports of LNG, the country will need to quickly complete construction on its planned gas pipelines.
Energy Transfer Slashes 2020 Capex, Dakota Access Expansion Could Face Delays
(Reuters) — Energy Transfer LP is slashing at least $400 million from its 2020 capital spending budget to $3.6 billion and will consider doubling the cuts after losses caused by oil prices driven lower by the coronavirus pandemic, company officials said on Monday.
