(London, England). Winn & Coales International Ltd, leading manufacturer of corrosion prevention and sealing products announced recently, the acquisition of the global Viscotaq™ business, including Amcorr Products and Services Inc, manufacturer of viscoelastic protective coatings.

Amcorr Products & Services Inc, based in San Antonio, USA are the formulators and manufacturers of viscoelastic protective coating technology, Viscotaq™. The patented Viscotaq™ product range is used for corrosion prevention and sealing applications on vital infrastructure across a broad range of sectors. The unique, self-healing technology of Viscotaq™ offers asset owners outstanding, long-term protection against corrosion.

Amcorr was originally established in June 2000 in San Antonio, USA and thereafter rapidly became the North American market leader of viscoelastic coatings and sealants in the corrosion industry.

Edwin Welles, President of Amcorr and co-inventor of the Viscotaq™ technology commented,

“We feel honored being part of the Winn & Coales family now. A similar business culture, with a privately-owned structure and a technology driven mentality was a natural fit for us. The acquisition will give Amcorr the opportunity to grow rapidly, both nationally and internationally and above all, guarantee dedicated service and supply to existing and future clients across the globe. I personally feel privileged to make the next step in my career at Winn & Coales, a leader in our industry with an outstanding reputation.”

For more than 90 years, the Winn & Coales International Group of companies has been creating bespoke and off-the-shelf solutions that provide enduring protection against corrosion and chemical attack to buried and exposed pipes, valves, fittings, steelwork, marine structures, tanks and concrete bunded areas. The acquisition of Amcorr is aligned with the Company’s focus on investing in and providing the highest quality corrosion prevention solutions for their customers.

Chairman of Winn & Coales International, Mr. Chris Winn commented, “The acquisition of Amcorr is particularly exciting for the Company, as the Viscotaq™ product line enhances and complements our existing range of coatings, which are already well established in the market. We are now able to offer all corrosion prevention technologies to our customers, and we look forward to building on our leading brands further with our new colleagues at Amcorr.”

(Meridian, MS) The management of Castle is proud to announce the promotion of Harry W. New to Vice President of two divisions of Castle: Castle Pipeline and Castle Facility Group.

Harry has exemplified excellence during his tenure at Castle and has been a proven leader in the Oil & Gas industry. With over 34 years of leadership and management responsibilities in our industry, he is versed in all aspects of business operations by having the knowledge of both publicly traded and privately held companies which has allowed him to perform at a high level to ensure success.

Castle is a multi-state employer who meets the needs of our clients in over 36 states in the U.S. Castle has four divisions: Castle Pipeline, Castle Integrity Group, Castle Facility Group, and Castle Directional Drilling. Learn more about Castle and what they bring to the industry at www.wearecastle.com

(Meridian, MS) – Mike Castle Jr., President and CEO of industry-leading pipeline

construction and maintenance company Progressive Pipeline, announced the business has been formally

rebranded as ‘Castle.’ The public announcement was made during a groundbreaking ceremony of Castle’s

new downtown headquarters located in Meridian, MS, last month.

“This is an exciting, new day in the rich history of this company, and it ushers in a bright future for our

employee family,” said Castle. “But while our brand has changed, our commitment to being a team

grounded in our values of hard work, integrity, safety, and family have not. We are a company powered

by our people and we will continue to deliver to our client’s the satisfaction they’ve come to expect when

partnering with us for project needs. We decided to make this change to our brand to better serve our

clients. We do so much more than pipeline work when it comes to the Oil and Gas industry and we want to

be transparent about the services we offer as we continue to deliver on our promise of being the hardest

working team you can find.”

Castle was founded in 1999 by Mike Castle, Sr., under the name Progressive Pipeline. Since its inception,

they have completed over 700 projects valuing over $3 billion in every U.S. geographical area.

“Our decision to rebrand as ‘Castle’ was made to better reflect who we are: a family of hardworking

individuals that learn, adapt, and push forward through each and every challenge,” added Castle. “We

are ultimately more of a family than a company, committed to my father’s original principles of telling the

truth, working hard, believing in yourself, and practicing what you preach. And of course, always

outworking the competition.”

Castle’s new, downtown Meridian headquarters was announced in late 2019 and represents a $10 million

investment in the former Melton Hardware Building in historical downtown Meridian, Mississippi.

“While we outgrew our former headquarters and needed a more spacious home, we also wanted to

ensure we and our entire employee base became more integrated into our local community. We’re excited

to be able to contribute to the revitalization of historic downtown. We want to continue to invest into the

lives of the people who are so vital to our success and future,” said Castle. “

Our experience, our people, and our culture set us apart from others in the industry, and we feel we can bring great value to our

community and to those we serve in this new location.”

Denso North America (Houston, TX) is excited to announce the launch of their latest innovation - Denso Bore-Wrap®. Denso Bore-Wrap is an Abrasion Resistant Outerwrap (ARO) which has outstanding performance against impact, gouge, abrasion, and fracture. Bore-Wrap creates a superior sacrificial outer laminate layer, which protects both pre-approved field joint coatings and mainline coatings (such as, liquid epoxy coatings, 3LPE, 3LPP and FBE coatings) from damage during pipeline installations, in difficult terrain or by means of trenchless installation methods, such as directional drilling, HDD or boring.

Denso Bore-Wrap is easily applied in the field; there is no mixing required, it is simply wrapped over the existing pipeline coating and cured with water. Due to its flexibility and exceptional level of mechanical protection, Bore-Wrap minimizes the need for costly spot repairs or re-pulling pipe from damage.

To learn more, visit Denso North America at www.densona.com or call them at (281) 821-3355.

(Alden, IA) An Iowa company is leading a $2 billion effort to capture carbon dioxide from Midwestern ethanol plants and pipe it to North Dakota where it would be buried deep underground.

The greenhouse gas is generated during the fermentation process and contributes to climate change when it’s released into the atmosphere.

Summit Carbon Solutions’ project would gather carbon dioxide from at least 17 ethanol plants and pipe it to North Dakota where it would be injected into wells and stored underground.

The carbon dioxide would be compressed into liquid form at the ethanol plants where feeder pipelines would send it to a larger pipeline that would extend across the Upper Midwest to North Dakota, the  Bismarck Tribune reported.

The project adds to a growing list of carbon capture and storage projects in North Dakota where extensive research has been done on the makeup of rocks as deep as 10,000 feet underground to find the ideal layer where carbon dioxide could stay buried forever.

That’s part of what attracted the company to the state, said Bruce Rastetter, CEO of Summit Agricultural Group, the parent of Summit Carbon Solutions.

“You have the geology formations,” he said.

Another factor that makes North Dakota an attractive option is the state’s authority to regulate the wells in which carbon dioxide would be injected. In 2018, it became the first state to assume that authority from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

According to Summit, the project has the potential to capture and store up to 10 million tons of carbon dioxide per year, which it said would be equivalent to taking 2 million cars off the road.

Summit said construction of the project could take at least 16 months and that it would create 10,000 temporary jobs. It expects the project to be operational by 2024.

Summit is also exploring other options, including injecting the gas into depleted oil fields to boost oil production, Rastetter said.

A federal tax credit is helping bolster that process, known as enhanced oil recovery, as well as underground storage. Rastetter said Summit’s project wouldn’t be possible without it.

Ethanol plants in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa plan to participate.

(Williamsville, NY) National Fuel Gas Supply Corp. has been given the green light to start construction on a multi-million dollar project to build a new pipeline to increase its transportation capacity in the region.

A release issued recently stated that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the beginning of construction on the FM100 Project, which includes work in Cameron, Elk, McKean, Potter, Clearfield and Clinton counties.

“National Fuel is targeting the end of calendar year 2021 for the project to be placed into service,” the release stated.

The company hired William Owens Sr., a 50-year veteran of the natural gas industry, as ombudsman for the project to “further enhance landowner and stakeholder relations. He will serve as a front-line resolution specialist for landowners and stakeholders. As an objective party, Owens will answer questions, investigate issues and coordinate with appropriate personnel and stakeholders.”

The project, according to National Fuel, locally entails the following: Installation of 29.5 miles of new 20-inch coated steel pipeline in Sergeant, Norwich and Liberty townships in McKean County and in Roulette, Pleasant Valley, Clara and Hebron townships in Potter County; installation of the new Marvindale compressor station in Sergeant Township and an adjacent interconnect; installation of up to 1.41 miles of 24-inch pipeline looping the existing pipeline in Allegany and Hebron townships in Potter County; installation of 0.4 miles of 12-inch diameter pipeline, extending the existing pipeline in Sergeant Township; installation of a new overpressure protection station in Hebron Township (Carpenter Hallow OPP Station).

Another part of the project includes abandonment in place of approximately 44.9 miles of 12-inch steel natural gas pipeline in Huston and Lawrence townships in Clearfield County, Benezette Township in Elk County, the Borough of Driftwood, and Gibson and Lumber townships in Cameron County and Wharton and Portage townships in Potter County; abandonment and removal of the Costello Compression station in Portage Township, Potter County, and abandonment and removal of an existing meter station in Wharton Township, Potter County.

The financial impact of the project in the region is in the hundreds of millions, according to National Fuel.

Spokesperson Carly Manino provided the following information. “The project’s economic impact includes investing more than $250 million in Pennsylvania; creating approximately 500 jobs during construction, estimated over $63 million in regional construction payroll and services spending; estimated over $3 million in regional material purchases and fuel spending.”

The total economic impact is estimated at more than $500 million, Manino indicated.

National Fuel will support local businesses throughout the construction, and will continue ongoing work with area companies.

David P. Bauer, president and CEO of National Fuel, had this to say about the project: “...in line with our ongoing focus on greenhouse gas emissions, the project includes commitments to install best-in-class emissions controls, including the use of vent gas recovery systems at two new compressor stations, which are expected to limit the carbon footprint from our growing operations.”

More information about the project is available on National Fuel’s website.

(Casper, WY) — The U.S. government has approved routes for a system of pipelines that would move carbon dioxide across Wyoming in what could be by far the largest such network in North America, if it is developed.

The greenhouse gas would be captured from coal-fired power plants, keeping it out of the atmosphere where it causes global warming. The captured gas would instead be pumped underground to add pressure to and boost production from oil fields.

In all, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management designated 1,100 miles of federal land for pipeline development through the Wyoming Pipeline Corridor Initiative, the Casper Star-Tribune reported.

Interior Secretary David Bernhardt signed the plans days before leaving office with the rest of President Donald Trump's administration. The approval allows companies to begin submitting pipeline construction proposals.

Wyoming officials including Republican Gov. Mark Gordon have promoted carbon capture as a way to boost the state's struggling coal mining industry.

“The ability to have a CO2 delivery system, as made possible by the pipeline corridor initiative, helps make CO2 commercially viable,” Gordon said in a statement.

Whether a large system of carbon capture for oil production is technically and economically feasible remains to be seen. One of two such systems in North America, the Petra Nova facility in Texas, has been offline since global oil prices plummeted last year.

Energy markets drive development of carbon capture projects for oil development, said Matt Fry, state of Wyoming project manager for the pipeline initiative

“We’re just helping to incentivize and provide some sort of a bridge for folks to help them move forward. Hopefully, this and future federal incentives will help get the ball rolling, and we’ll get some projects on the ground,” Fry said

(Washington, D.C.) On January 13, 2021, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) announced publication in the Federal Register of its final rule for revisions and renewals to Nationwide Permits (NWPs). The USACE “reissued 12 and issued four new (NWPs) for work in wetlands and other waters that are regulated by Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and/or Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899.”

The utility line NWP has been split into three separate permits: one for oil or natural gas pipeline activities (NWP 12), one for electric utility line and telecommunications activities (NWP 57), and one for utility lines carrying water and other substances (NWP 58).

“In total, the final rule reissues twelve existing NWPs (most being revised to remove a 300-foot limit for losses to stream bed), issues four new NWPs (the two utility line NWPs split from NWP 12, and two new NWPs for seaweed and finfish mariculture activities), and revises the general conditions and definitions that apply to these 16 permits,” according to Houston-based law firm Vinson & Elkins LLP in an article published in Lexology. “The rule does not affect the other 40 existing NWPs last reissued in 2017, nor does it change the conditions or definitions that apply to them.”

The new final rule will go into effect March 14, 2021.

The final rule also eliminates many conditions that previously required the need to submit a pre-construction notification (PCN) before proceeding with any construction activity. NWP 12’s 2017 version required PCNs in 9 circumstances; the new version requires PCNs only when historic properties may be impacted or when there is the possibility that a protected species is in the area.

“The new 2021 NWPs for the three categories of utility lines remove five of these PCN triggers as redundant,” according to Vinson & Elkins. “However, the 2021 NWPs add one additional PCN trigger to the oil and gas NWP, which now requires a PCN for oil and gas pipeline activities when the overall project is to install a new pipeline greater than 250 miles in length. Commenters on the proposed rule had objected that applying this PCN trigger only to oil and gas pipelines would be arbitrary because it would improperly treat oil and gas pipelines differently than other utility lines, when neither the length of a pipeline nor the substance it conveys has any necessary relationship with the potential impacts on aquatic resources. The Army Corps disagreed with these comments, claiming that long-distance electric utility lines are often constructed as overhead lines, and that lines for water and other substances are often constructed to serve local communities and would likely be shorter in overall length.”

Concerns raised by infrastructure groups over increased litigation risks caused by splitting the utility line permits were rejected by the USACE. The agency “acknowledged that the changes would come with some challenges and some opportunities but reiterated that the new NWPs would continue to provide regulatory certainty for pipelines and other types of utility lines,” according to Vinson & Elkins

NWP-12

NWP-12 is a general permit authorizing minimal impacts to streams and waters of the United States during construction of utility lines. The USACE is subject to General Condition 18, which says the USACE cannot authorize “activities that are likely to directly or indirectly jeopardize the continued existence of a threatened or endangered species, as identified under the Federal Endangered Species Act (ESA), or which will directly or indirectly destroy or adversely modify the critical habitat of such species. In other words, any activity that ‘may affect’ a listed species or critical habitat cannot be authorized,” according to Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services.

Courthouse Skirmishes

The NWP-12 permitting process allows the USACE to issue permits for individual segments of a pipeline instead of considering the total impact of a project.

Therefore, the NWP-12 permit has been one of the top hit list items of many who oppose the continued use of fossil fuels. There has been much criticism in court filings about what opponents feel is a lack of compliance with the ESA.

Proponents cite the benefits of increasing oil supply from a stable ally, which will create more jobs, while its critics “express concern about greenhouse gas emissions, continued U.S. dependency on fossil fuels, and the environmental risk of an oil release,” according to the Congressional Research Service fact sheet.

Back in November 2018, Judge Brian Morris of U.S. District Court for Montana blocked construction on the pipeline. That decision initially invalidated NWP-12 permits nationwide. However, the court later narrowed its ruling to include only oil and gas lines.

On July 6, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) declined to approve the Keystone Project’s NWP-12 application pending environmental review of the project. The SCOTUS decision also “stayed that injunction for all parties except Keystone XL, and the appeal over the merits of the Montana court’s decision is pending in the Ninth Circuit,” according to the Vinson & Elkins article.

“In yet another legal tussle over a pipeline using that permit (NWP-12) … a Richmond, Va., U.S. appeals court said Nov. 18 that the $6-billion Mountain Valley natural gas line could continue clearing, grading, and other earth-disturbing construction—rejecting opponents’ call for an emergency halt until it rules on a broader permit challenge,” according to Engineering News Record (ENR).

However, on November 9, 2020, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals issued an immediate stay of Mountain Valley Pipeline’s stream and wetland crossing permits in southern West Virginia and Virginia, pending the bigger final ruling.

The Keystone XL project is already 2 years behind schedule and is now on hold until late 2021 due to the SCOTUS ruling. However, just as President Barack Obama vetoed a Senate bill approving the project, President Joe Biden signed orders on his first day in office revoking the project’s permit.

USACE Final Rule

In its final rule, the USACE addressed the criticism the agency has received over its methods of complying with the ESA.

“Accompanying the Army Corps’ finalization of the 2021 NWPs is its biological assessment, dated January 2, 2021, concluding that the rulemaking has no effect on listed species and designated critical habitat,” according to the Vinson & Elkins article. “The Army Corps noted that it is not required to seek written concurrence from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Marine Fisheries Service on ‘no effect’ determinations, as stated in those agencies’ ESA Section 7 consultation handbook. The Army Corps continues its longstanding framework regarding compliance with Section 7 of the ESA, whereby the NWPs do not authorize any activity that ‘may affect’ listed species or designated critical habitat without the Army Corps first completing activity-specific Section 7 consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Marine Fisheries Service, as appropriate. The Army Corps also concluded that it was not required to undertake a national programmatic ESA Section 7 consultation as part of the latest NWP rulemaking — the Army Corps took the same position in issuing the 2017 NWPs, and that position is central to the dispute in the Keystone XL litigation.”

With Biden vetoing the Keystone XL permit and the fact that the USACE published this final rule, the future of NWPs is uncertain.

“… (G)iven the outcome of the recent runoff election in Georgia, Congress and the new administration could potentially use the Congressional Review Act to overturn the final rulemaking,” according to the Vinson & Elkins article. “There is uncertainty about the effect of such an action, since doing so prohibits the agency from issuing a substantially similar rule in the future, and this may unusually constrain the Army Corps in the context of these NWPs, and NWP 12 in particular, which has been in place for many decades and reissued under administrations of both political parties. If the agency instead takes administrative action to forestall the effectiveness of the new NWPs, this time could also give the Biden administration an opening to undertake additional analysis that might reduce litigation risk on the ESA issues. The Biden administration could also attempt to trim back the availability of nationwide permits for politically disfavored types of projects.”

(Houston, TX) Millard County planning and zoning commissioners will consider a $350 million expansion of Magnum’s master-planned energy industrial complex north of Delta when they meet this week.

An existing permit already allows Magnum to develop solar electrical generation as well as compressed air energy storage operations at its current location near the Intermountain Power Plant.

Now the company wants to expand the boundaries of that project in partnership with global energy company Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) to develop green hydrogen production and storage facilities and related enterprises as part of the company’s vision for a Western Energy Hub located here.

Earlier this year the Intermountain Power Agency (IPA) contracted with Mitsubishi for two advanced gas turbines, capable of burning a mixture of natural gas and hydrogen to produce electricity, part of a long-term plan to convert the Intermountain Power Plant (IPP) coal fired units into a cleaner burning power producer.

IPA envisions eventually transitioning IPP to 100-percent carbon-free renewable hydrogen by 2045. Magnum’s success is said to be pivotal to that effort.

Called the ACES Delta Project—ACES stands for Advanced Clean Energy Storage—Magnum and Mitsubishi want to build the first phase in what will likely be a 10-year development to eventually include up to 15 gas storage caverns, up to four compressed air energy storage units, up to 1,400 acres of solar generation, up to 10 electrolyzers used to make hydrogen, large brine evaporative ponds and monitoring wells, as well as multiple transport and operations facilities.

“At this time, Magnum and Mitsubishi anticipate the first ACES Delta Project to be constructed under the amended CUP will be the green hydrogen generation and storage business. This is due to the strong interest in the energy industry to use green hydrogen as a carbon- free fuel additive to natural gas for use in electric generation and as a standalone fuel source for hydrogen fuel cells in both commercial and personal transportation sectors,” Magnum’s proposed CUP amendment application states. “The core build out of this business is anticipated to be completed in three phases over the next 10 years with construction of the first phase starting in early 2021.”

The hydrogen Magnum proposes to produce will be considered “green” hydrogen because the business plans to power its hydrogen-producing electrolyzers using renewable solar and wind energy.

Water can be electrolytically converted to hydrogen and oxygen in a process first developed for industrial purposes in the 1940s. Magnum’s application states it already owns the requisite water rights for the project.

“Magnum and Mitsubishi anticipate up to 15 ventilated shelters will be installed in the next 10 years and each shelter will house multiple electrolyzers. The electrolyzers will be paired with up to 15 storage caverns each anticipated to store 150,000 MWh of energy in the form of green hydrogen,” the CUP amendment application states.

The company has not yet settled on a final engineering design for the electrolyzers it plans to build. While the company’s first phase is predicted to be valued at about $350 million, the overall valuation of the project won’t be known until overall build out is complete, the company reports.

Planning commissioners are expected to recommend approval of Magnum’s CUP amendment to county commissioners, who will review the project at a future meeting.

Meanwhile, in other energy developments in Millard County, the Kern River Gas Transmission Company last week hosted two open houses, one in Delta and another in Holden, as part of a proposed application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to build a 36-mile, 24-inch natural gas pipeline from Holden to IPP.

The Delta Lateral Project, as the pipeline is called, would supply IPP fuel when it transitions to natural gas electricity transmission in 2025.

Kern River anticipates starting construction on the new gas line in spring 2023, completing the project in May 2024.

(Waynesburg, PA) Representatives from various companies joined state and local officials at the Center Township Volunteer Fire Department hall Oct. 28 to announce plans for a complete gas pipeline replacement that will benefit more than 1,600 residents and businesses in Greene and Washington counties.

Officials said the Peoples Natural Gas pipeline, known as the Goodwin Tombaugh System, was first installed nearly a century ago and is in dire need of a modernized replacement.

The replacement project, which is expected to be completed in seven years, will upgrade the 300 miles of pipeline through the two counties, with a little more than half of the line being situated in Greene. Officials said the goal of the project is to transform the current antiquated gathering system into a new modern distribution system.

Mike Denny, manager of engineering design for Peoples Natural Gas, said the modernized distribution system will benefit the environment through a reduction of methane emissions, provide a potential for reducing customers’ costs and also enable the company to provide its services to more customers.

“This is an exciting time for our customers, residents and businesses throughout both counties,” Denny said. “There aren’t opportunities very often to do a complete replacement of a major pipeline, so this is a huge deal.”

Denny said the company hopes to obtain permits for the project in 2021, which he referred to as the “kickoff year” for the project.

Mike Huwar, president of Peoples Natural Gas; Bill Roland, director of government affairs for Peoples Gas; state Rep. Pam Snyder and state Sen. Camera Bartolotta all spoke at the event.

Huwar spoke about the importance of modernizing the antiquated system and recognized Snyder and Bartolotta for their efforts in supporting the project,

Snyder and Bartolotta discussed the positive impact the project will have for the area.

“I’m relieved that Peoples Natural Gas is making this necessary investment into Greene County and other parts of Southwestern Pennsylvania,” Snyder said. “This project will ensure that more than 1,600 customers will have safe and reliable gas lines providing energy to their homes for decades to come.”

Snyder added “improving our infrastructure is key to the future development of our region, and this private investment to modernize our gas lines is long overdue.”

Bartolotta said she is pleased the antiquated pipeline will be fully replaced with state-of-the-art technology that is environmentally friendly and cost effective.

“Not only will this be a benefit to the consumers along the line, it will also create jobs and support the local economy,” Bartolotta said. “It was my pleasure to support this project as we navigated the approval process in Harrisburg over the last few years. This is a great day for all of Southwestern Pennsylvania and I am glad to be in Rogersville to celebrate.”

(Tulsa, OK)— Heavy investment in skilled machinists, cutting edge technologies and robust quality management programs is driving new business opportunities for Vacuworx with a newly renovated machine shop inside its Tulsa headquarters.

Vacuworx is now extending its exacting standards used to machine and fabricate many of the parts for its own products into a new business opportunity. The global equipment manufacturer is turning excess capacity into a new revenue stream as the company takes on contract work for outside companies.

Vacuworx offers comprehensive design, CAM programming and machining services on an array of raw materials. The shop can accommodate short to large production runs and specializes in prototype development and finish treatments to suit individual needs. The new venture reflects the company’s overall dedication to safety, focus on efficiency and investment in proven technologies with 10 CNC machines, fully simultaneous five-axis machining, and a dual-spindle, live-tooling, bar-fed, part-catching lathe.

Vacuworx Director of Manufacturing D.J. Gall oversaw construction of the space during a three-month build-out on the company’s 60,000-square-foot campus at 10105 E. 55th Place. Renovations included durable epoxy floor coatings, four bridge cranes for safe and easy maneuvering of parts and equipment, and all new LED fixtures and bulbs for energy efficient illumination throughout the entire facility. A state-of-the-art inspection room was designed for the most precise measurements and an HVAC system with three 15-ton air conditioners was installed to allow for complete climate control and redundancy.

Vacuworx has already seen success crafting high-grade parts and components manufactured according to the rigorous specifications of customers operating in the oil and gas, automotive and agricultural industries.

Product quality and safety are top priorities for Vacuworx, which is certified to ISO Standard 9001:2015 for Quality Management Systems and is currently pursuing AS 9100 certification, emphasizing the ability to meet or exceed quality management standards for aviation, defense and space organizations.

Vacuworx Machine Shop Manager Josh Carpio, who leads an eight-person team credited with helping improve machine cycle times at Vacuworx by up to 70 percent, said they have made significant progress toward automation and “lights out” manufacturing, which requires no physical human presence outside of normal business hours to achieve maximum productivity and customer satisfaction.

“We have a safe, bright and super clean facility designed to promote smooth workflows, the utmost efficiency and a high level of accountability,” Carpio said. “And we’ve made a lot of headway with running ‘lights out,’ the way these machines were intended, to work continuously without sacrificing quality.”

“Our people understand the importance of having the best technology and how it can benefit the company and our customers,” said Bill Solomon, president of Vacuworx. “We are tapping into the vision and creativeness of our best employees, utilizing the increased capacity and superior tooling ability to best serve our customers so they can grow while keeping both eyes fixed on their core business.”

(Pittsburgh, PA) Representatives from various companies joined state and local officials at the Center Township Volunteer Fire Department hall Oct. 28 to announce plans for a complete gas pipeline replacement that will benefit more than 1,600 residents and businesses in Greene and Washington counties.

Officials said the Peoples Natural Gas pipeline, known as the Goodwin Tombaugh System, was first installed nearly a century ago and is in dire need of a modernized replacement.

The replacement project, which is expected to be completed in seven years, will upgrade the 300 miles of pipeline through the two counties, with a little more than half of the line being situated in Greene. Officials said the goal of the project is to transform the current antiquated gathering system into a new modern distribution system.

Mike Denny, manager of engineering design for Peoples Natural Gas, said the modernized distribution system will benefit the environment through a reduction of methane emissions, provide a potential for reducing customers’ costs and also enable the company to provide its services to more customers.

“This is an exciting time for our customers, residents and businesses throughout both counties,” Denny said. “There aren’t opportunities very often to do a complete replacement of a major pipeline, so this is a huge deal.”

Denny said the company hopes to obtain permits for the project in 2021, which he referred to as the “kickoff year” for the project.

Tulsa, Oklahoma, September 2020 — The Oklahoma district of the U.S. Small Business Administration has named Vacuworx the 2020 Manufacturer of the Year as part of National Small Business Week.

For more than 50 years, the U.S. Small Business Administration has celebrated National Small Business Week (NSBW), recognizing the contributions and successes of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners.

Vacuworx, a global leader in vacuum lifting technology, has been engaged in manufacturing and exporting heavy-duty material handling systems since its establishment in 1999. The company, which celebrated 21 years of industry building accomplishments this year, was founded with the simple goal of engineering a better, safer way to handle pipe in the field for the oil and gas sector.

The current lineup of Vacuworx lifting systems consists of seven different product series, each with applications in various markets such as oil and gas, water and sewer, concrete demolition and highway and heavy construction. With standard lifting capacities ranging from 1,700 lb to 55,000 lb, Vacuworx systems can handle a wide variety of materials including pipe, precast and plate.

After winning the Tulsa Regional Chamber’s 2019 Manufacturer of the Year award, Vacuworx was eligible for consideration at the state level through the Oklahoma district of the U.S. Small Business Association. Nominees were evaluated based on several criteria including an increase in sales or profits, growth in employment and maintaining exportation to overseas markets. Businesses were also judged on effective solutions to overcoming market-entry and logistical challenges, and for their support of small businesses entering the export arena.

Vacuworx has invested heavily in laying the groundwork for continued strategic expansion and diversification into emerging markets and geographies while championing the industries it serves. Operating both domestically and internationally, it has an established sales and distribution network throughout North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia and Australia.

(Washington, D.C.) The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission recently ruled that Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC can resume construction on the stalled natural gas pipeline in West Virginia and Virginia.

FERC lifted a stop order that had been issued in October 2019 for all of the pipeline except for a 25-mile segment within the Jefferson National Forest in western Virginia.

FERC also gave the company another two years to 2022 to complete the project. The old certificate of public necessity expires Oct. 13.

The pipeline still needs a permit from the U.S. Forest Service to pass through the national forest. That permit is expected to be issued later this year.

Last week, eight environmental groups asked a federal appeals court to prevent construction from resuming on the $5.7 billion pipeline.

The groups filed petitions with the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia.

The groups asked the appeals court to halt construction until their appeals of the reissued federal permits can be heard.

Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC said it would delay any stream crossing work until Oct. 17, at the earliest.

Two key permits have been reissued in recent weeks.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ruled that the pipeline is unlikely to jeopardize threatened or endangered species.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved permits that will allow the natural gas pipeline to cross wetlands and nearly 1,000 streams in West Virginia and Virginia.

Work was halted in October 2019 over legal challenges and permits being rescinded.

The pipeline is 92% complete and should be finished in early 2021, the company has said.

The pipeline is owned by joint-venture partners EQM Midstream Partners, NextEra US Gas Assets, Con Edison Transmission, WGL Midstream, and RGC Midstream.

(Houston, TX) FERC has given the proposed Magnolia liquefied natural gas (LNG) export project near Lake Charles, LA, and an associated Kinder Morgan Inc. pipeline expansion five additional years to be placed in service because of the difficulty in securing long-term customers to finance the project.

The 8.8 million metric ton/year (mmty) project and the so-called Lake Charles Expansion Project on the Kinder Morgan Louisiana Pipeline (KMLP) must be placed in service by April 15, 2026, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said Wednesday. The proposed KMLP line would supply up to 1.4 Bcf/d to the project for 20 years.

Magnolia owner Glenfarne Group LLC and Kinder Morgan last month requested the time extension because “unforeseeable developments in the global LNG market have affected Magnolia LNG’s ability to enter into long-term LNG offtake contracts with international customers, which are critical to securing project financing and achieving” a positive final investment decision (FID).

FERC authorized construction in April 2016 with a five-year time frame to place it in service. The developers could seek additional time extensions if necessary.

Glenfarne founder Brendan Duval told NGI in June that the New York-based company expects to reach an FID by the end of 2021 on both Magnolia and its Texas LNG export project near Brownsville, TX.

Glenfarne acquired Magnolia in June for $2 million from Australia’s Liquefied Natural Gas Ltd. after two previous deals fell through.

“We believe Magnolia LNG has the right size and scope to best compete in the current and future LNG market and is well-positioned to meet global demand starting in the middle of this decade,” Duval said recently.

(Calgary, AL, Canada) Alberta’s October announcement of a new natural gas policy is focused on three initiatives: a plastics recycling program, the development of a hydrogen economy and exports of natural gas to Asia and Europe. The last would require new export pipelines and up to three Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) export plants.

As reported in Calgary’s Herald, 7 October Alberta aims to become a “centre of excellence for plastics diversion and recycling” by 2030 and also join in the exportation of hydrogen and hydrogen-based products in North America by 2040.” However, the recent worldwide increase in the construction of new plastics feedstock plants is leading to fears of a potential glut in plastics production by 2030. Also, increasing public demands to cut plastic waste and increase recycling rates, threaten the viability of Alberta's policies.

Alberta could begin blending hydrogen into its natural gas pipeline system as soon as next year and a detailed plan in line with neighbouring British Columbia and Saskatchewan’s hydrogen policies should be ready by 2023. Dale Nally, Alberta’s Associate Minister of Natural Gas is reported by the Globe and Mail 6 October “Hydrogen by 2050 is going to be a C $3.5-trillion industry and we want as big of a piece of that for Alberta as we possibly can. ” Given the worldwide glut in LNG, it is unlikely that the three new LNG plants will be built.

(Dallas, TX) Navigator Borger Express LLC, an affiliated company of Navigator Energy Services (Navigator), announced recently the launch of a binding open season on its Borger Express pipeline system (Borger Express), to provide shippers the opportunity to secure crude oil transportation services from Cushing, Oklahoma to Borger, Texas. Prior to participating in the open season, interested parties must execute a confidentiality agreement to govern the receipt of the open season documentation. All potential shippers must submit binding commitments for service on the Borger Express pipeline by 12:00 p.m. Central Standard Time on November 5, 2020.

The Borger Express pipeline will provide the new services by utilizing approximately 180 miles of an existing crude oil pipeline, and constructing nearly 200 miles of new, 16-inch diameter pipeline from Cleo Springs, Oklahoma to Borger. The project will provide shippers with critical transportation services for numerous grades of light and heavy crude oil from the Cushing storage hub to third party storage and a regional refinery in Borger. Subject to receipt of sufficient shipper commitments and all necessary permits and approvals, Borger Express is expected to be placed in service in the first quarter of 2022.

(Sedro Wooley, WA) Snelson Companies and PLH Group, Inc. are pleased to announce that Kevin Farris has joined the Snelson team as Director of Business Development. Mr. Farris’ industry experience, technical expertise and focus on customer relationships will support Snelson’s mission to provide value-added, safety-first construction services to the energy and utility industries.

Mr. Farris brings over twenty-five years of experience in the energy industry, recently working with Henkels and McCoy, Inc. in Chicago as their Senior Director of Gas Operations and with Bilfinger Westcon. He has also held management positions with Spectra Energy, Citizens Gas, Williams Company, El Paso Energy, and as an independent consultant developing oil & gas pipeline Integrity Management Programs (IMP) for several companies. His educational background includes a B.S. in Physics from Indiana State University and a M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue.

(Tulsa, OK) Williams received approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to move forward with its Leidy South Project that will create 582,400 Dth/d of additional pipeline capacity and provide enough natural gas to serve the equivalent of more than 2.5 million homes and further enable power plants to convert from coal to cleaner-burning natural gas. The project will connect abundant supplies of natural gas produced by Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. and Seneca Resources Company, LLC in the Marcellus and Utica regions of Pennsylvania with demand markets along the Atlantic Seaboard by the 2021-2022 winter heating season. UGI Utilities Inc. is a local distribution company that will be using its capacity to directly serve its customers in northeast Pennsylvania.

“As the United States switches to clean power to energize our electric grids, Williams is excited and proud to be the backbone that connects the best supplies of dry gas with our country’s largest demand centers,” said Alan Armstrong, president and chief executive officer of Williams. “This project represents one of many opportunities to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions with right here, right now available solutions as coal-fired electric generation plants are replaced with natural gas units to reliably balance the intermittency of new renewable resources. In fact, there remain more than 80 coal plants in the states Transco serves that can potentially be displaced by clean, efficient and affordable natural gas.”

By maximizing the use of the existing Transco transmission corridor and expanding existing facilities in Pennsylvania, the Leidy South Project will substantially reduce the amount of new infrastructure and land use required to meet these needs – minimizing community and environmental impact and allowing residential, commercial and power generation customers to efficiently access natural gas supplies on the Transco system. In addition, the construction of the project’s two greenfield compressor facilities is estimated to generate $100 million in economic activity within Pennsylvania, supporting 680 jobs with an estimated payroll of $28 million, and produce $1.3 million in state tax revenue, according to third-party researchers.

(Houston, TX) Williams-Transco gained federal regulatory approval for a pipeline project bringing gas for home heating and power generation in the Atlantic Seaboard region.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission gave permission to proceed with the Leidy South Project which will deliver 582,400 dekatherms per day—enough to serve more than two million homes—of additional pipeline takeaway from the gas-rich Marcellus and Utica shale regions of Pennsylvania. Tulsa-based Williams says the project will help utilities convert from coal-fired power capacity to natural gas, which has half the carbon emissions.

“As the United States switches to clean power to energize our electric grids, Williams is excited and proud to be the backbone that connects the best supplies of dry gas with our country’s largest demand centers,” said Alan Armstrong, president and CEO of Williams. “This project represents one of many opportunities to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions with right here, right now available solutions as coal-fired electric generation plants are replaced with natural gas units to reliably balance the intermittency of new renewable resources.”

The Leidy South would basically use the same corridor as the company’s interstate Transco pipeline system in that area, so it would reduce the amount of new infrastructure and land use needed.

(Houston, TX) - Targa Resources Corp. announced that Targa NGL Pipeline Company LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, has launched an open season commencing July 1, 2020 and closing July 31, 2020 to gauge shipper interest in committed interstate transportation service for natural gas liquids (“NGLs”) from a planned interconnection with upstream pipeline facilities in Kingfisher County, Oklahoma to Mont Belvieu, Texas. As announced in February 2019, Targa NGL Pipeline is currently developing an approximately 110-mile extension of Targa’s existing Grand Prix pipeline system to the new Kingfisher County interconnection where it will connect with Williams’ new Bluestem Pipeline.

This open season will provide an opportunity for shippers to secure firm capacity for NGL transportation subject to the terms of their transportation service agreements (“TSAs”). The final volume of capacity for both committed and uncommitted service on the project will be determined by Targa in part based on the results of this open season.

Dominion Energy has agreed to sell its natural gas storage and transmission assets to Berkshire Hathaway in a $9.7bn deal that will allow Dominion to pursue its state-regulated utility business.

The deal includes the Dominion Energy Transmission system, Questar pipeline and the Carolina Gas Transmission system, as well as a 50pc stake in the Iroquois Gas Transmission system. Berkshire will also acquire a 25pc stake in the Cove Point LNG export terminal in Maryland.

As part of the deal, Berkshire will assume $5.7bn of Dominion's debt.

The assets comprise more than 7,700 miles of gas pipelines that can move 20.8 Bcf/d and 900 Bcf of operated gas storage assets in the northeast and Rocky Mountains.

Dominion will retain a 50pc share of the 5.75mn t/yr Cove Point terminal, but Berkshire will operate the facility once the transaction is completed. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter, pending regulatory approvals.

"This transaction represents another significant step in our evolution as a company, allowing us to focus even more on fulfilling utility customer needs," Dominion chief executive Thomas Farrell said.

The bulk of Dominion's future earnings will come from its state-regulated natural gas and electric utilities in Virginia, the Carolinas, Ohio and Utah. Dominion's stake in Cove Point and its solar and nuclear generation will be the only key exceptions, the company said.

Dominion and Duke Energy, the developers of the $8bn, 1.4 Bcf/d Atlantic Coast pipeline, canceled that project today following years of permitting delays.

(Tulsa, OK) — Vacuworx is pleased to welcome Charlie Cunningham to the North America sales and leadership teams as Senior Director of Sales.

Cunningham brings more than two decades of experience with sales, marketing and business development activities. He recently spent 15 years with Astec Industries, Inc. As Vice President of Sales with Astec Underground and GEFCO, he led the development of initiatives to identify potential markets, new products, and sales and marketing domestically and internationally.

His responsibilities at Vacuworx include providing management and strategies for the North America sales team, while also driving new distribution partnerships to support material handling in the oil and gas pipeline, utility infrastructure, highway and transportation, and concrete renovation markets.

The foundation for Cunningham’s work ethic was built growing up alongside his father and grandfather as they managed the family’s dairy farm at the foothills of the Smoky Mountains. He attended the University of Tennessee, earning a bachelor’s degree in agriculture prior to going to work as a director of training and education and regional sales manager with Tennessee Farmers Cooperative.

From there, Cunningham launched a Dale Carnegie sales and marketing training program that included the facilitation of more than 25 client workshops focused on business improvement, effective communication and strategic sales.

Married with four adult children, Cunningham is based in his hometown of Maryville, Tennessee, residing on his family’s nearly 200-year-old Century Farm. An avid outdoorsman and former marathoner, he enjoys running, cycling and kayaking, alongside staying active with his local church community.

(Houston, TX) - ANR Pipeline asked the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to authorize a 165,000-Dt/d expansion that would help deliver natural gas from as far away as Manitoba to markets in the Gulf Coast region and other points on its interstate pipeline system.

"Demand has grown not only in the Gulf Coast, driven in part by the construction of LNG export terminals, but also at areas served by ... various receipt and delivery points on the ANR system," the pipeline company told FERC. "The project will match this growing demand at several points on the ANR system with low-cost natural gas supply from multiple supply basins, including imports" from Western Canada.

ANR, a subsidiary of TC Energy, submitted a June 22 abbreviated application for a Natural Gas Act certificate and related authorizations for the Alberta XPress project. The company asked FERC to authorize the project by May 20, 2021, to allow the project to enter service by November 2022. ANR has executed binding precedent agreements with two shippers to provide firm transportation service that would cover the full gas transportation capacity of the project. The project shippers were designated "foundation shipper" and "anchor shipper," but not otherwise named in the application.

ANR told FERC the project would not hurt its existing customers and would have minimal impacts on landowners, communities and the environment.

The project, estimated to cost $81.1 million, would put in place a 15,900-hp greenfield compressor station in Evangeline Parish, Louisiana, which would boost incremental capacity on ANR's Southeast Mainline 501 and 501 Loop pipelines between Ohio and Louisiana. The project would also involve a lease between ANR and affiliate Great Lakes Gas Transmission, under which ANR would lease capacity on the Great Lakes pipeline system between Manitoba and an ANR system connection in Wisconsin (CP20-484).

At a June 18 FERC meeting, the regulator granted ANR authorization to build and operate the Grand Chenier XPress project in Louisiana to serve Venture Global Calcasieu Pass and the Calcasieu Pass LNG export terminal.

(San Antonio, TX) -- MIRAGE ENERGY CORPORATION announces it has signed a $4 Billion debt facility with the family office of Bluebell International, LLC’s (BBI) family office for the development of natural gas pipelines, underground natural gas storage and the Isthmus Corridor Project.

The company’s pipeline, interconnected with Whitewater Whistler, provides an inexpensive natural gas supply for Mexico through a new 42-inch pipeline to be built from Agua Dulce/ Banquette Hub to Progresso then into Mexico. From there, natural gas can be stored underground (once developed) or sent to Station #19 on the Sistrangas system, with a 42-inch line going on to Los Ramones and an interconnect to the San Fernando/Cactus line, which would bring natural gas all the way to Nuevo Pemex on the Yucatan Peninsula.

When fully developed, Mirage’s natural gas storage facility will be the largest natural gas storage facility on the North American continent with the ability to hold 786BCF of natural gas, giving the country of Mexico a six-month’s supply in the event natural gas is interrupted – a strategic asset for the country.

The Isthmus Corridor project consists of a series of pipelines and storage facilities in Mexico connecting the Port of Pajaritos on the Gulf of Mexico side to Salina Cruz on the Pacific side. The pipelines will provide a faster, more economical means of delivering crude oil and refined products from the U.S. to Asia, Mexico and the west coast of the U.S. Compared to using the Panama Canal or the Cape Horn route. Using this route saves 36 days of true shipping time to Asia, for example.

“One of the biggest problems in oil and gas transportation is the logistical dilemma posed by Supertankers that cannot fit through the Panama Canal, thereby reducing access to the Pacific Ocean or forcing them to take the hazardous and expensive journey around Cape Horn,” said Michael Ward, President and CEO of Mirage Energy. “The Isthmus project is a logical and far more economical alternative, and we are pleased that the family offices of Bluebell International have agreed to partner with us.”

The three projects comprise the following:

• Mirage 1 – Burgos Hub Storage & Natural Gas Pipeline, a US-Mexico development consisting of cross-border transportation and the first underground natural gas storage facility in the country of Mexico. (In permit phase) (Construction will start soon after they get all permits) (Has been negotiated)

• Mirage 2 – SAN FERNANDO/CACTUS – 48-inch natural gas pipeline running from Reynosa, Mexico to Nuevo Pemex. (Already built. Has some rehab)

• Mirage 3 – ISTHMUS CORRIDOR – 30-inch and 48-inch bi-directional crude oil pipeline across the Tehuantepec Isthmus of Mexico (connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans). (Already built. Has some rehab)

The terms of the loan include an equity split of 75% to BBI and 25% is no cost to Mirage Energy/Northern Hemisphere Logistics, Inc.

Turkey's state gas grid operator Botaş has opened a tender for a gas pipeline to supply Azerbaijan’s exclave of Nakhchivan. The new supply route would sideline Iranian gas sales to Azerbaijan and comes as Ankara is trying to repair its relationship with the United States.

Sandwiched between Iran and Armenia and sharing a tiny border with Turkey, Nakhchivan has long relied on Iran for natural gas for both domestic heating and power generation.

The move follows an announcement in February by the presidents of Turkey and Azerbaijan that they planned to fast track the construction of the pipeline, which has been on hold since 2010, when an agreement was first signed to build it.

Botaş’s tender calls for the design of a pipeline running around 80 kilometers from the eastern Turkish city of Iğdır to the border with Nakhchivan, capable of carrying up to around 2 billion cubic meters of gas, which is more than four times the enclave's consumption.

Design work is to be completed by early 2021, meaning that line could be constructed and operational as early as 2022.

Nakhchivan has been importing Iranian gas under a swap agreement between Baku and Tehran inked in 2004, under which Azerbaijan supplies gas to Iran's isolated northwestern border city of Astara, which has no gas supply from inside Iran.

In return, Iran supplies 85 percent of that volume to Nakhchivan, with the 15 percent differential acting as a transit fee – terms which Baku has for some years been seeking to renegotiate.

The prospect of a rival gas supply line from Turkey to Nakhchivan could persuade Tehran to be more amenable, but the planned line promises to have a substantially wider impact.

Turkey also imports Iranian gas, but that flow has been halted since March 31 when a sabotage attack, which the Turkish authorities blamed on the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), forced the closure of the pipeline.

Ankara has been in no hurry to repair the line, claiming that the attack is a "force majeure,” meaning it isn't liable to compensate Tehran for any losses.

The March attack was certainly fortuitous for Turkey.

The month before, Turkey's deputy energy minister Alpaslan Bayraktar told a conference in Istanbul that Ankara planned to use the availability of cheap liquid natural gas (LNG) delivered by ship to force its pipeline gas suppliers to cut their prices.

"This is a signal to our existing pipeline suppliers that they need to be flexible," he said.

Global LNG prices were already at historic lows before the COVID-19 pandemic forced them lower still, meaning Turkey has been able to replace Iranian gas with LNG at a fraction of the cost charged by Tehran.

And while the threat of undercutting Iran’s exports to Nakhchivan can only improve Ankara's hand in contract talks with Tehran, the potential for leverage doesn't end there.

Turkey has for the past few months been attempting to improve its fractious relations with Washington, which has in turn long been pressing both Turkey and Azerbaijan to limit their economic ties with Iran.

The prospect of Turkey and Azerbaijan ending or limiting their gas imports from Iran will certainly appeal to the Iran hawks in the Trump administration, all the more so given that the past year has seen the U.S. become one of Turkey's main gas suppliers. As of February, the U.S. was accounting for 18 percent of Turkish gas imports, compared to only 15 percent from Iran

On June 1, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a rule restricting the rights of states, tribes and the public to challenge federal permits for energy projects through the use of the Clean Water Act.   The rule sets a one-year deadline for states and tribes to certify or deny proposed pipeline, hydroelectric or industrial plant projects that could affect waterways. Any review of projects would be limited to only water quality impacts under a new agency definition.

EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler noted that some states had used the Act in the past to cause extended delays and trap energy projects in a bureaucratic Groundhog Day-type scenario and to hold projects hostage for long periods. “Our system of republican democracy does not allow for one state to dictate standards or decisions for the entire nations,” Wheeler has stated. New York denied a certification for the Constitution Pipeline, a 124-mile natural gas pipeline that would have run from Pennsylvania to New York, crossing rivers more than 200 times using sections the Clean Water Act. Both New Jersey and New York denied permits to the Williams Co. $1 billion Northeast Supply Enhancement pipeline project, citing both water quality and climate change concerns.

The national oil and gas industry trade association the American Petroleum Institute (API) released a statement noting that the “API believes this rule will provide a rigorous, consistent and transparent process for water quality certifications for energy developers and manufacturers, while ensuring that the public plays an important role in the regulatory process,” API Vice President for Midstream and Industry Operations Robin Rorick said. “We support the Clean Water Act, and though certain states have continued to go well beyond its scope for water quality certifications, we hope the addition of a well-defined timeline and review process will provide certainty to operators as they develop infrastructure projects that meet state water quality standards,” he added.

(Anchorage, AK) Alaska has cleared the biggest regulatory hurdle to developing a long-sought North Slope natural gas pipeline project.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Thursday issued a record of decision authorizing construction of the state’s plan for the many-billion-dollar Alaska LNG Project, concluding a three-year-plus environmental impact statement process.

AGDC President Frank Richards called it a “momentous day for the project” and thanked FERC for largely sticking to its timeline for the EIS during a Thursday morning meeting of the AGDC board.

AGDC submitted its application for the massive project to FERC in April 2017.

“As anybody in the infrastructure development process knows, to go through the (National Environmental Policy Act) process in three years is an exceptionally fast time,” Richards said.

Since the current iteration of the project began in 2013, the three major Slope producers and the state have spent more than $600 million to reach this point, with the state share about $240 million of that total.

At its core, the project consists of a large North Slope gas treatment plant; an 807-mile 42" buried natural gas pipeline from the Slope to the Kenai Peninsula; off take points for state use, and a three-train liquefaction plant at Nikiski capable of producing up to 20 million metric tons of LNG per year for export to Asian markets.

If developed, the project would generate upwards of 18,000 jobs during construction and roughly 1,000 new jobs during its 30-year operational life, according to AGDC and state Labor Department estimates. It would also provide natural gas to the Fairbanks area and other communities along the pipeline route that currently rely on fuel oil for heating and in some cases power generation.

(Raleigh, NC) PSNC (Dominion) plans to build a 13-mile natural gas pipeline from southwestern Wake County north toward Durham County, and much of the route could follow the American Tobacco Trail.

The state Board of Transportation agreed this month to grant Dominion Energy an easement to build the 12-inch pipeline in the former railroad corridor that is now a cycling and walking trail known as the ATT. For a one-time payment of $3 million the utility can build and operate the pipeline parallel to the trail from Morrisville Parkway in Cary about 6 miles north through Chatham County to Scott King Road in Durham.

Dominion Energy spokeswoman Persida Montanez says the company has not chosen a final route for the pipeline, which would help provide gas to growing parts of Wake, Chatham and Durham counties. Montanez said the pipeline will run generally from west of Apex to an area southwest of Research Triangle Park.

Dominion Energy hopes to have permits in hand so construction can begin in late September or early October.

(Ontario, Quebec) A federal environment assessment is being ordered for the Gazoduq Project, a proposed 484 mile long natural gas pipeline between Ramore in northeastern Ontario and Saguenay, Que.

The pipeline project is an extension of the Trans-Canada Pipeline to move Alberta gas to a saltwater port for export.

Construction, if and when permits are awarded, could be early 2022.

(Houston, TX) - Advanced Geodetic Surveys, an authorized Trimble dealer since 1991, is pleased to announce the appointment of Adam Terrell to the role of Vice President. Adam has served as Operations Manager at AGS for over five years, and initially joined the company in 2012 as lead tech support. In his expanded role, Adam will continue to oversee the Operations Department, while also supporting AGS owner and CEO PJ Meyers and President Todd Traylor with the day to day responsibilities company wide.

Under Adam's guidance, the AGS Operations team expanded capabilities and growth of their Trimble Authorized Service and Repair Center. In addition to basic repairs like screen and keypad replacement for Data Collectors, the Tier 3 Trimble Certified technicians perform complex repairs on GPS instruments and radios, as well as calibrations and cleanings of Total Stations at the Houston area survey equipment distributor.

Mr. Terrell is one of the top tech support gurus in the industry and has over 20 years of direct experience providing solutions and support to customers all over the world. With an Associate’s Degree in Micro Computer Technology from MTI Business College, Adam not only uses his extensive knowledge of Trimble, but also his abilities with telecommunication and connected devices to help customers keep their equipment running and their jobs on schedule. Having overseen the repair center at AGS, Adam understands both the hardware and software sides of the business, which gives him a unique understanding of the many problems surveyors can face while in the field or in the office.

AGS customers have benefited from Adam's expertise for years, and much of the Trimble rental growth from AGS core customers can be attributed to his interactions and problem solving. His patience and ability to listen and find workable solutions for customers' equipment needs are shown by the loyalty and appreciation they give to AGS through their business. Adam has also been a key contributor behind the scenes with his support and effort on the implementation of an inventory management system for both the Damon headquarters and growing Permian Basin locations.

"I just want customers to get the support they deserve, and I want everyone at AGS to help provide that high level of service to everyone we deal with." Adam added, "I am thankful to PJ for the recognition, but my job doesn't change. We still have to work hard be the best we can."

AGS owner PJ Meyers said, “The respect that Todd and I have for Adam is immense, and he definitely leads by example. He puts the customer first, and there is nothing we have thrown at him that he cannot handle." Traylor added, "We are fortunate to have Adam on our team and promoting him to Vice President is a reflection of his experience, skills and abilities. Our confidence in Adam is unmatched, and our industry is lucky to have him, our customers are very lucky to have him, and AGS is very very lucky to have him."

(Houston,TX) - MPLX LP said recently it is no longer pursuing a Permian to Gulf Coast natural gas liquids (NGL) pipeline, called BANGL, after a collapse in oil prices and said it will focus on expanding capacity on existing pipelines instead.

The fractionation capacity and export facility associated with the BANGL project have also been deferred.

"We are working with others to optimize existing pipeline capacity ... we are still committed to an NGL solution. It just won't be the original scope that we had envisioned early on," Chief Executive Michael Hennigan said during the quarterly results call with analysts.

"We wanted to not commit to that full scope until we were really sure that the volume commitments would be there (and) with what's happening in the market, the volume commitments are slower."

Global oil demand has crashed about 30% as the coronavirus pandemic has restricted travel around the world and a brief price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia flooded the market with excess supplies.

U.S. crude prices plunged to trade in negative territory for the first time in history last month as storage filled rapidly.

Oil producers in the Permian, the largest shale basin in the country, and in the Bakken have already begun to slash output and curtail drilling in response to the price crash.

Work on the Wink-to-Webster Permian crude oil project, in which MPLX has a 15% equity ownership, is advancing, the company said during its first-quarter results call.

One hundred percent of the contractable capacity on the pipeline system is covered by MVCs (minimum volume commitments) or long-term contracts, a company executive said during the call.

The line is expected to be placed in service in the first half of 2021.

The Whistler natural gas pipeline project, which is expected to transport about 2 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) of natural gas from Waha, Texas, to the Agua Dulce market in south Texas, also continued to progress, the company said.

The line is expected to start up in the second half of 2021.

The company cut its 2020 capital spending target by more than $700 million to about $1 billion.

Net loss attributable to MPLX was $2.7 billion in the first quarter 2020, compared with net income of $503 million for the first quarter of 2019.

A major project to transport natural gas from the North Sea to Denmark and Poland has taken a significant step forward.Italian firm Saipem signed a deal worth €280 million to build a gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea to connect the two countries.Poland imports most of its natural gas from Russia and the new pipeline has been hailed in Warsaw as a way of reducing dependence on Moscow.The EU has provided €215 million in funding for the Baltic Pipe Project, which will also allow Poland to supply gas to the Danish market.Poland's president, Andrzej Duda, has said the pipeline is scheduled to be launched on October 1, 2022."This is indeed very good news for Poland, and not only in the near future, but I deeply believe for decades," said Duda at a press conference recently.

"If we are talking about full diversification of gas supplies to Poland, if we are talking about full independence of Poland as a recipient from Russia, this is the milestone on the road to this non-dependence," he added.

From Norway to Poland, via Denmark

The Baltic Pipe Project will be constructed to link gas fields on the Norwegian shelf in the North Sea to Niechorze-Pogorzelica on the north Polish coast.

The total section underneath the Baltic Sea between Poland and Denmark is around 275 kilometres long, according to Saipem.

The Baltic Pipe Project says the building of the pipeline will contribute to reducing carbon dioxide emissions and improving air quality in Poland.

Saipem is expected to commence work in Poland and Denmark in the second half of this year. The laying of offshore pipes is later planned for the summer of 2021.

The new agreement was announced, despite a crash in the price of oil and gas in recent weeks during the coronavirus pandemic.

The West Kootenay Village of Fruitvale will be the site of a new state-of-the-art natural gas facility.

FortisBC is partnering with REN Energy International Corporation (REN Energy) to create Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) from wood waste sourced from Fruitvale’s ATCO Wood Products and other Kootenay forestry companies.

“The Village of Fruitvale is beyond excited,” said Fruitvale mayor Steve Morissette. “It’s a once in a lifetime thing, it doesn’t happen in small communities very often. It will offer good paying jobs and there’ll be plant operators, process operators, and typically fork lift drivers, and wood managers.”

The proposed site for the facility is at the old Park Siding ATCO mill about 6 km from Fruitvale in southeastern BC. The project will offer about 18 months of construction jobs and, once construction is complete, the plant will employ 30-35 local workers.

According to FortisBC Supply Manager Scott Gramm, Fortis will buy the gas generated by the facility and tap into its pipeline that runs near the Park Siding property.

“REN Energy chose that location because it was a source of wood waste and close to our pipeline at the same time,” said Gramm. “We’re talking like 300-metres from our transmission pipeline, it’s nice and close – so acceptable wood waste, acceptable pipeline.”

REN Energy is a global company whose goal is to reduce waste and improve the environment through the development of sustainable, clean fuel-based projects. REN seeks out opportunities to create partnerships with municipalities like Fruitvale and regional districts, forestry industry operators like ATCO, and financial partners like FortisBC to create essentially zero-emission energy products like RNG.

“The plant, the first of its kind in North America, will create an immediate annual economic impact in the Kootenay region,” said Philip Viggiani, president of REN Energy in a release. “As well, our future waste-to-energy project regions will carry similar economic impacts in regard to the creation of hundreds of direct and indirect jobs, significant in-community investments and, of course, the clean energy product we create.”

RNG is a carbon-neutral energy that is made from capturing the methane released from decomposing organic waste.

The project will make use of waste from forestry operations, sawmills and other wood product manufacturers and will speed up the natural process by creating syngas through gasification. The syngas is further converted to methane and then purified to meet natural gas line specifications.

The output is expected to be substantial, and FortisBC estimates over one million gigajoules of energy will be created annually from the facility.

“The average household uses about 90-ish,” explained Gramm. “So we’re talking enough gas to sustain 10,000 to 12,000 homes annually.”

The construction on the facility will begin in the fall, and is expected to be up and running in late 2021, early 2022, says Gramm.

Once operational, the technology will create a use for forestry waste in B.C. and unlock the potential for significant new volumes of RNG in the province.

“We are extremely pleased with our FortisBC agreement spanning 20 years, to provide RNG to our fellow B.C. customers,” said Viggiani. “REN Energy plans to be a major factor in assisting with the FortisBC mandate of creating carbon-neutral RNG.”

When economically feasible, REN Energy intends to benefit both the province and the forestry industry by cleaning up and processing brush piles, and thereby mitigate potential forest fires.

Furthermore, the REN facility will create a market for local forest companies in a time when they need it most.

“It will for sure help our forest industry,” said Morissette. “It will help ILMA – the Interior Lumber Manufacturers’ Association – because they (REN) will be sourcing a lot of the waste wood from them.”

The ground-breaking project’s use of carbon-neutral energies is a crucial element of FortisBC’s 30BY30 target.

(Washington, D. C.) — The US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is planning to complete an environmental assessment by July 31 for a pair of Enable Gas Transmission and Enable Gulf Run Transmission projects that would add a combined 134 miles of pipeline and allow bi-directional flows and shipment of about 1.65 Bcf/d of natural gas to a Louisiana delivery point.

The Gulf Run project entails about 134 miles of new 42-inch-diameter pipeline, running from Westdale to Starks, Louisiana, along with a new meter and regulation station and appurtenant facilities. The Line CP project entails modifications to two compressor stations and three M&R and two new M&R stations in Texas and Louisiana.

The abbreviated applications (CP20-68, CP20-70), filed February 28, were scaled back from the 2.8 Bcf/d version Enable pitched for pre-filing review in March 2019 which would also have entailed a 36-mile lateral running to Gillis and two new compressor stations.

FERC has also shrunk its review from an environmental impact statement to an environmental assessment, saying Enable had determined that certain originally planned pipeline and compression facilities considered during pre-filing review were no longer needed.

Due to Enable's removal of those, many of the comments responding to a notice of intent were no longer relevant and FERC staff has determined that an environmental assessment is the appropriate means to evaluate the project, the commission said.

Under a schedule released Tuesday, other federal agencies participating in the review would have until October 29 to render their final decisions.

According to the project applications, Enable has executed one precedent agreement with Golden Pass LNG, the cornerstone shipper, for 1.1 Bfcf/d, representing 67% of the project capacity.

Enable has sought FERC authorizations in the first quarter of 2021 in order to be able to place the facilities into service in the second half of 2022, the in-service date agreed to by Gulf Run and Golden Pass LNG, it said in the application.

(As reported by RigZone)

(Houston, TX) Siemens Gas and Power GmbH & Co. KG reported recently that it has won a contract to supply compression equipment for Midcoast Energy, LLC’s CJ Express natural gas pipeline expansion project in East Texas.

“The beauty of this project is that the majority of the equipment will be manufactured by Siemens Gas and Power facilities in the U.S.,” remarked Patrice Laporte, Americas vice president of Siemens Energy Oil and Gas Division, in a written statement emailed to Rigzone.

The company noted that it will supply two SGT-400 gas turbine compression packages for pipeline expansion project. It added the project’s engineering, procurement and contracting (EPC) provider is WHC Energy Services, supported by Universal Pegasus International.

Siemens will build the compressors at its facility in Olean, N.Y., and package the SGT-400 gas turbine at its Telge Road facility in Houston. The company noted the mechanical-drive compression packages will be capable of producing a total of 39,000 horsepower for an expansion at an existing compressor station.

“This project marks a key milestone as the U.S. pipeline industry realizes the breadth of reliable, cost-effective solutions we can provide in this power range,” stated Laporte.

In late-February of this year, Midcoast – a unit of the private equity firm ArcLight Capital Partners – reported that it had made a positive final investment decision and entered into definitive, long-term anchor shipper agreements to support its CJ Express Expansion Project. The project will add compression and pipeline facilities along Midstream’s East Texas pipeline system, the ArcLight portfolio company stated. Moreover, it noted the expansion will boost gathering capabilities in the Shelby Trough area of the Haynesville Shale and raise its Clarity pipeline transmission capacity to the Gulf Coast to 1 billion cubic feet per day.

Siemens noted the first gas turbine compression trains will be shipped later this year. Midcoast has reported the CJ Express expansion should conclude in early 2021.

ATHENS — A joint venture between Greek utility DEPA and Italy’s Edison is seeking to shortlist two contractors to build part of a pipeline to carry natural gas from the eastern Mediterranean’s rapidly developing gas fields to Europe, DEPA said on Thursday.

European governments and Israel last year agreed to proceed with the $6 to $7 billion so-called EastMed project. The pipeline is expected initially to carry 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year from Israeli and Cypriot waters to the Greek island of Crete, on to the Greek mainland and into Europe’s gas network via Italy.

Greece, Cyprus and Israel in January signed a deal to build the 1,900 km subsea pipeline. The countries aim to reach a final investment decision by 2022 and have the pipeline completed by 2025 to help Europe diversify its energy resources.

Turkey opposes the pipeline and has said there is no need for it.

The contractors will design and build four offshore legs of the pipeline, DEPA said. The total cost of the four 1,470 kilometer legs will be 3 billion euros ($3.3 billion), DEPA added.

“The implementation of the project goes ahead despite the big turmoil that the (coronavirus) pandemic has caused to the world economy and the energy market,” Greek Energy Minister Kostis Hatzidakis said in a statement.

DEPA has signed a letter of intent with Energean, a gas producer with a focus on the Eastern Mediterranean, to buy two billion cubic meters of gas annually from Energean’s gas fields off Israel via the planned pipeline.

(Wyomissing, Pa.) – To meet the urgent and growing need for clean, low-cost natural gas, PennEast Pipeline Company LLC announced the filing of an amendment with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to construct the federally approved PennEast Pipeline Project in two separate phases. Phase One would consist of 68 miles of 36-inch pipe, constructed entirely within Pennsylvania and ready to deliver natural gas by November 2021. The Phase Two portion would include the remaining route in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, with a targeted completion of 2023. Also includes a compressor station and 3 laterals.

(Billings, MT) - TC Energy recently said  that it’s started construction on the long-stalled Keystone XL oil sands pipeline across the U.S.-Canada border despite calls from tribal leaders and environmentalists to delay the $8 billion project amid the coronavirus pandemic.

A spokesman for TC Energy said work began at the border crossing in northern Montana, a remote area with sprawling cattle ranches and wheat fields. About 100 workers are involved initially, but that number is expected to swell into the thousands in coming months as work proceeds, according to the company.

The 1,200 mile pipeline was proposed in 2008 and would carry up to 830,000 barrels (35 million gallons) of crude daily for transfer to refineries and export terminals on the Gulf of Mexico.

It's been tied up for years in legal battles and several court challenges are still pending, including one that's due before a judge next week.

TC Energy's surprise announcement last week that it intended to start construction came after the provincial government in Alberta invested $1.1 billion to jump start work. Montana's Department of Environmental Quality on Friday issued the final state permits the company needed, agency spokeswoman Rebecca Harbage said.

Leaders of American Indian tribes and some residents of rural communities along the pipeline route worry that workers could spread the coronavirus. As many as 11 construction camps, some housing up to 1,000 people, were initially planned for the project, although TC Energy says those are under review because of the virus.

TC Energy says it plans to check everyone entering work sites for fever and ensure workers practice social distancing.

Opponents in January had asked Morris to block any work while the legal challenges are pending. They said clearing and tree felling along the route would destroy bird and wildlife habitat. Native American tribes along the pipeline route have said the pipeline could break and spill oil into waterways like the Missouri River.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.

A hearing on the request to block work is scheduled for April 16 before U.S. District Judge Brian Morris in Great Falls.

(Bismark, ND) – The North Dakota Public Service Commission held a public hearing in Tioga on April 15th, regarding a proposal for a residue gas pipeline in Mountrail and Williams Counties.

Liberty Midstream Solutions, LLC, is proposing to construct an approximately 4.7 mile-long residue gas pipeline in Mountrail and Williams Counties. The pipeline would be an 8-inch diameter pipeline with an estimated throughput of up to 80 million cubic feet per day. The estimated cost of the project is $4.6 million.

The pipeline would originate at the existing Liberty County Line Gas Plant near Tioga and end at an interconnection with the Alliance Pipeline’s Tioga Lateral pipeline.

(Houston, TX) Enbridge Energy wants to build a roughly 4-mile-long tunnel beneath the Straits of Mackinac. It would replace the underwater segment of Line 5, a pipeline that runs between Superior, Wisconsin, and Sarnia, Ontario.

Enbridge submitted a joint application to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Approval from both is needed for the project to go forward.

Outside the 48 (Calgary, Alberta) — TC Energy Corporation announced that it has approved two new expansion projects totaling $1.3 billion on its wholly-owned natural gas pipeline systems. The $0.9 billion 2023 NGTL Intra-Basin System Expansion will deliver natural gas from the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin (WCSB) to markets within Alberta on the NOVA Gas Transmission Ltd. (NGTL) System, while the US$0.3 billion Alberta XPress project will see the expansion of the ANR Pipeline (ANR) to provide a seamless path for Canadian production to access growing LNG export and other markets along the U.S. Gulf Coast.

“Our natural gas pipeline systems require expansion as customers continue to contract for incremental pipeline capacity to meet growing demand,” said Russ Girling, TC Energy’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “These new investments within our existing system footprints supplement our ongoing $30 billion secured capital program and demonstrate the long-term need across North America and in global energy markets for clean-burning natural gas, as well as the value of our existing infrastructure as a platform for organic growth.”

The 2023 NGTL Intra-Basin System Expansion is underpinned by approximately 309 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) of new firm service delivery contracts. Customers have executed agreements with 15-year terms, with service commencing in 2023, that will connect WCSB supply to growing Alberta market demand in the power generation, oil sands, petrochemical and utility sectors. The 2023 NGTL Intra-Basin System Expansion will include approximately 74 miles of new pipeline in existing rights-of-way and 90 MW of additional compression. Applications for approvals to construct and operate the facilities are expected to be filed with the Canada Energy Regulator in 2020 and, pending receipt of regulatory approvals, construction will commence as early as fourth quarter 2021.

The Alberta XPress project on ANR is underpinned by approximately 160 MMcf/d of new firm service contracts and will include compressor station modifications and additions within the existing ANR footprint, as well as utilize existing capacity on the Great Lakes Gas Transmission and Canadian Mainline systems. Customers have negotiated agreements, which include customary conditions precedent, with weighted average terms of 19 years and service commencing in 2022. Applications for approvals to construct and operate the ANR facilities will be filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in 2020. Pending receipt of FERC approvals, construction will commence as early as third quarter 2021.

(Tulsa, OK) — Vacuworx is excited to announce the addition of two new Area Sales Representatives serving customers in the Gulf Coast Region.

Sebastian Castilla joins Vacuworx with 12 years of domestic and global pipeline sales experience, including prior procurement, sales support and business development roles at Welspun Corp. and Marubeni-Itochu Tubulars, as well as international sales relations experience in China, India, Japan and Latin America.

Castilla values collaborating with customers while helping broaden their exposure to the full range of capabilities and advantages associat- ed with Vacuworx lifting systems for a wide array of material-handling jobs. Based in Houston, his territory includes the greater metropolitan and surrounding area, Louisiana and Mississippi.

John Young brings to Vacuworx over 30 years of heavy equipment rental and sales experience and a zeal for connecting with operators in the oil and gas and pipeline construction fields. Young has been identified as a problem-solver with a safety-first mindset and proactive approach to saving customers valuable time and assets. Based in Canyon Lake, Texas, his territory encompasses West Texas, Central Texas, the Rio Grande Valley and Southeast New Mexico.

Each of the new hires will handle key accounts, uncover new growth opportunities and support authorized Vacuworx distributors while showcasing seven lines of heavy duty and compact lifting solutions designed for the oil and gas, water and sewer, highway and heavy construction, concrete construction and demolition, mining, manufacturing, and landscaping industries.

Castilla attended the University of Houston, earning a bachelor’s degree in supply chain management with an emphasis on Latin American studies. He was born in Colombia and grew up in West Texas, moving with his parents to the Houston area when he was fifteen. A former Division I athlete and American soccer player, Castilla enjoys spending free time away from work with his three-year-old son.

Young has been married to his wife Dannette for 31 years and has three sons. Away from work, he can generally be found fishing for fun or in a tournament, as well as spending time with any of his seven grandchildren. Born in Kermit, Texas, he grew up in West Texas, attended Odessa College and studied at various Cat, Volvo and Link-Belt Cranes equipment training schools.

“We welcome John and Sebastian as valuable additions to our Gulf Coast team with their tenure working with construction materials and equipment in the oil and gas fields,” said George Denny, Vacuworx Gulf Coast Sales Director. “They are demonstrating their ability to ask the right questions; questions that will help us respond effectively with highest value product and service offerings best suited to meet our customers’ unique geographic requirements and industry specific needs.”

Tulsa, Oklahoma, March 2020 — As part of our commitment to continuous innovation, Vacuworx has engineered significant updates to our flagship line of RC Series Vacuum Lifting Systems. All changes are designed to maximize safety while minimizing down time on the job. In addition, the lifters are “smarter” than ever before by incorporating a CAN bus system to provide real-time diagnostics and enhanced safety features.

Adapter

Although the installation for RC Series lifters is already quite simple, we have made several key enhancements to the adapter (the part that connects the lifter to the host machine such as an excavator) which improve the process even more!

The adapter now features removable top caps, which allows the installer to position and secure the adapter pin easily. The standard pin size is 110 mm, but the adapter will also accommodate pin sizes down to 50 mm using bushings. Vacuworx also offers an adapter for 120 mm pins and larger.

A flow control block has been incorporated into the adapter to allow for more safe and convenient adjustment of the hydraulics. This puts the flow controls within easy reach, rather than higher up on the arm of the excavator. In addition, the part of the adapter that connects to the base plate on the lifter, referred to as the “tombstone,” is now a replaceable part of the assembly rather than being welded to the adapter. This is designed to minimize time and overall cost of repairs.

Belt Drive

The traditional gear box has been replaced with a belt drive. This will provide a longer service life and drastically reduce repairs. There is virtually no maintenance required. The belt drive is environmentally friendly with no oil to replace. In addition, the system design keeps the engine bay temperatures cooler.

CAN Bus System

Vacuworx has implemented an innovative application of CAN bus technology for vacuum lifting systems. Commonly used in passenger vehicles and other equipment, a Controller Area Network (CAN bus) allows internal devices to communicate with each other without a host computer. Utilizing a central logic controller, the system is designed to monitor for faults and quickly diagnose specific problems.

The new dashboard gauge on one side of the lifter shows error codes, oil and fuel levels, pressure level, number of lifts and engine hours. The logic controller increases safety by ensuring that the electronic components are operating correctly.

Virtual Circuitry

The simplified wiring design of the system has fewer components and no mechanical switches. The system incorporates pressure transducers instead of a vacuum switch for greater accuracy. All circuits can be monitored and diagnosed through the logic controller. There are no fuses to repair or replace—all faults are reset electronically. In addition, the design helps promote safety by identifying any incorrect repairs or environmental damage.

FRANKFURT: A group of gas grid operators, oil and utility firms is planning a 80 mile hydrogen pipeline to supply industrial customers in north-west Germany, Open Grid Europe (OGE) said.

German companies are keen to convert power from renewables into hydrogen, which emits water when it burns in oxygen rather than the CO2 released by coal, oil and natural gas. Germany is due to adopt a hydrogen strategy soon.

OGE, which is part of the consortium including BP, speciality chemicals firm Evonik, grid firm Nowega and RWE Generation, said that the pipeline will supply chemicals plants and refineries from a hydrogen plant to be built by RWE at Lingen in Lower Saxony from 2022.

(Williston, ND) - ONEOK wants to start construction on a 75-mile-long pipeline in Williams County by April 1. Friday's Public Service Commission hearing in Williston brought ONEOK one step closer to making the $100 million project a reality. Nobody from the public objected to the pipeline. The company explained to the state PSC its agreements with landowners and precautions it's taking to lessen the 16-inch pipeline's environmental impacts. The Bakken Pipeline will pump 30,000 barrels of natural gas liquids every day from Hess Corporation's Tioga Gas Processing Plant to another pipeline in Eastern Montana.

Brad Borror, ONEOK manager of communications, said: “We execute these projects on almost a daily basis. So, we’re looking forward to this new exciting project, and connecting a region up near Tioga, that historically has had difficulties getting these products out.”

The pipeline will mean less flaring in the Bakken and more products that can be refined for home heating and creating petrochemicals, which are found in everyday products like plastics, medicines, cosmetics, furniture, and electronics.

ONEOK wants the pipeline to be operational by the fourth quarter of 2020.

(Kansas City, MO) Load King LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Custom Truck One Source (Custom Truck), announced that ML Utilities, a division of ML Cranes & Equipment, is now an Authorized Service Center for Load King cranes.

With locations in Charlotte, North Carolina, Baltimore, Maryland, and Cleveland, Georgia, ML Utilities will service Load King boom trucks, truck cranes, and Terex legacy products for customers in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions, including Maryland, Delaware, Washington DC, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Alabama. The experienced team at ML Utilities will provide maintenance, repair and parts for Load King products.

“We are very excited to partner with ML Utilities to offer after-sales support for our products in this important market,” said John Lukow, Senior Vice President of Load King Cranes. “ML Utilities has a rich history and strong team in place that will benefit our customers through accurate diagnostics and on-hand repair parts.”

“ML Utilities is excited to be named as an Authorized Service Center for Load King, LLC,” said Mickey Hodges, Co-President of ML Utilities. “This partnership aligns very well with our business model, current geographic locations and allows ML Utilities to provide service excellence to the Load King brand along with the legacy Terex Crane products. Our factory trained technicians are highly skilled and we pride ourselves on performing each job safely and efficiently.”

ML Utilities will provide service to Load King customers who contact them directly in addition to customers contacting Load King’s call center. For more information about Load King crane products and service, please visit www.loadkingmfg.com.

HMI Technical Solutions Project Manager of Integrity Management Rod Rheaume presented a paper about External Corrosion Direct Assessment (ECDA) surveys at the 2020 Pipeline Pigging & Integrity Management (PPIM) Conference in Houston, TX on Friday, February 21, 2020. PPIM is the pipeline industry’s only forum devoted exclusively to pigging for maintenance and inspection, as well as integrity evaluation and repair.

In his presentation, Mr. Rheaume acknowledged the effectiveness of using ECDA surveys to perform assessments on un-piggable lines and educated operators on ways to ensure the validity and compliance of the ECDA process. Mr. Rheaume noted, “Assessments on un-piggable lines can be challenging for most operators. Having a fully developed procedure for the ECDA survey process can help operators avoid pitfalls and comply with the necessary regulations and codes.”

Mr. Rheaume’s presentation was a relevant and informative addition to the PPIM Conference, which drew engineering management and field operating personnel from both transmission and distribution companies concerned with improved operations and integrity management.

An expert in the field of corrosion, Mr. Rheaume is a NACE Certified Cathodic Protection Specialist and a NACE Certified Internal Corrosion Technologist. He has a BSME degree from Worcester Polytechnic University and nearly 30 years of internal and external corrosion and cathodic protection experience.

BISMARCK — 

Pipeline operator Energy Transfer Partners will now look to build a $40 million pump station about five miles from Linton in Emmons County that would make it possible to increase the capacity of the pipeline from 570,000 to 1.1 million barrels of oil (23.9 million to 46.2 million gallons) per day. The company has said it will aim to begin construction on the pump station this spring and finish about 10 months later.

(Houston, TX) – A new natural gas pipeline is being proposed to be built north of Medicine Hat by TC Energy with an estimated potential of generating 500 jobs.

TC Energy is proposing the 38.5 mile pipeline to be located just north of Medicine Hat to meet increased demand for natural gas in the city and surrounding areas.

The project’s timetable estimates construction could start in the third-quarter of 2022 with an in-service date of 2023.

(Houston, TX) - Texas Eastern has proposed the construction of a 1.5-mile natural gas pipeline extension from its existing pipeline to supply a power plant in the Woodbridge Energy Center.

According to FERC documents, the 20-inch pipeline would be located along an existing utility right-of-way and railroad corridor.

The new pipeline would connect two other pipelines owned by Texas Eastern – the company's mainline, which runs along Conrail tracks through the northern part of the township and Metuchen, and the existing Woodbridge Lateral, which delivers natural gas to a 725-megawatt power plant in Woodbridge owned by CPV Shore Holdings.

Preliminary maps show the new pipeline would extend from the Woodbridge Lateral, just south of the intersection of Route 1 and Amboy Avenue, then go directly north just west of Roosevelt Park connecting to the mainline near the Metuchen border.

The project would require would about 19.3 acres of land. According to FERC, Texas Eastern would grade, restore and replant all areas disturbed by construction.

The pipeline is tentatively scheduled to be in service by June 1, 2021.

(Kansas City, MO) Load King LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Custom Truck One Source (Custom Truck), announced that Stevenson Crane will be the first Authorized Service Center for Load King cranes.

With locations in Bolingbrook and South Holland, Illinois, Stevenson Crane will service Load King boom trucks, truck cranes, and Terex legacy products for customers in the northeast Illinois area, including greater Chicago. Stevenson Crane will provide maintenance, repair and parts for Load King products.

”We are very excited to partner with Stevenson to offer after-sales support for our products in this important market,” said John Lukow, Senior Vice President of Load King Cranes. “The depth of experience Stevenson has with operating and maintaining cranes will benefit our customers through accurate diagnostics and on- hand repair parts.”

“We are honored that Load King Cranes selected Stevenson Crane Service as their authorized service center. This is a good fit for us as our utilization experience with the Terex legacy products (Terex truck crane models T 340, T 560-1, & T 780 and Terex Boom Truck models; BT 2047, BT 3870, TM 3851, BT 5092, BT 28106, BT 70100, RS 70100, & Crossover 8000) dates back over 30 years,” stated Bob Stevenson.

Stevenson Crane will provide service to Load King customers who contact them directly in addition to customers contacting Load King’s call center. For more information about Load King crane products and service, please visit www.loadkingmfg.com.

(Houston, TX) Trace Midstream and Gemini Midstream each a portfolio company of Quantum Energy Partners (“Quantum”), announced the combination of management teams to focus on the continued growth and expansion of the Gemini Carthage Pipeline (“GCP”), an existing 50-mile natural gas system in Harrison and Panola Counties, Texas, capable of delivering in excess of 1.2 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) of high pressure, dry natural gas into the Carthage area.The combination of Trace and Gemini’s highly skilled workforces and senior management teams provides customers with a dedicated team of energy professionals. Going forward, the combined team will operate as Trace Midstream and Josh Weber will assume the role of Chief Executive Officer with John O’Shea as Chairman of the Board.“Since its initial in-service date of May 2019, GCP has seen a significant ramp in volumes from its two anchor producers, Rockcliff Energy and Tanos Exploration,” said Josh Weber, Trace Chief Executive Officer. “GCP offers its customers access to premium and growing liquified natural gas export and industrial markets along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast. We look forward to continuing to offer safe, reliable and competitive midstream services that our producer customers have come to expect from the Trace team.”Additionally, Trace has begun construction of the Gemini Gulf Coast Pipeline (“GGCP”), a new 36-inch, 150-mile natural gas pipeline capable of delivering 1.5 bcf/d of natural gas to downstream markets in the Beaumont area. Phase I of GGCP is expected to be operational in May 2020.Trace will remain headquartered in Houston, Texas and will continue to operate its East Texas assets from its field office in Marshall, Texas.

(Washington, D.C.) In a 2-1 vote, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Jan. 30 issued a declaratory order that the PennEast Pipeline Co. had a right to exercise eminent domain over state-owned land in New Jersey for its proposed nearly $1-billion, 116-mile natural gas pipeline project running from Pennsylvania to New Jersey.

The ruling may bolster PennEast's position when it petitions the U.S. Supreme Court to review the issue following unfavorable appellate court rulings last yea.

During the open commission meeting, FERC Chairman Neil Chatterjee cited the Natural Gas Act as the basis for the decision in PennEast's favor, saying that the "text, legislative history and precedent regarding [the law's] Section 7H all demonstrate Congress’ intent to delegate the authority to condemn state property to certificate holders.”

The order conflicts with a Sept. 10 ruling by the Philadelphia-based Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, which said PennEast’s eminent domain approvals violated the Constitution's 11th Amendment, overturning earlier court decisions.

“The Third Circuit already held that a private pipeline company like PennEast lacks the authority to condemn state properties, and nothing about FERC’s action today changes that," said a spokesman for New Jersey's attorney general's office in an email to ENR. "Despite PennEast’s best efforts, the Third Circuit correctly sided with New Jersey’s interpretation of the Natural Gas Act and the Eleventh Amendment, and the court’s judgment remains in effect.”

Dissenting FERC Commissioner Richard Glick said “the majority is trying to use this petition for a declaratory order to try to influence PennEast’s effort" to get a Supreme Court review, adding, “In my opinion I don’t think we should be pushing out an order just to bolster a private party’s litigation position.”

PennEast plans to file a petition before the high court’s March 4 deadline, the company has said.

In a change to previous plans, the company also announced it intends to build the pipeline in two phases. In the first, a 68-mile, 36-in. pipe would be built in Pennsylvania, coming on line by November 2021.

The second phase would involve continuing the line in Pennsylvania and through New Jersey, with a planned 2023 completion. “Building the project in phases allows PennEast to meet the clear public need in the short term in Pennsylvania, and in the long term in New Jersey by affording sufficient time for permit and legal issues to be resolved,” said Anthony Cox, chair of PennEast's board of managers, in a release.

(Atlanta, TX) PowerTeam Services announced recently to buy two subsidiaries of Houston's CenterPoint Energy Inc. for $850 million.

PowerTeam will buy CenterPoint's Miller Pipeline and Minnesota Limited units, which provide underground pipeline construction and repair services. 

"The sale is a key achievement in our ongoing strategic focus to strengthen our balance sheet and improve our business risk profile and earnings quality pursuant to increased relative contribution of our core utility businesses," Scott Prochazka, president and CEO of CenterPoint Energy, said in a statement.

"PowerTeam's combination with Miller Pipeline and Minnesota Limited creates a powerful platform with nationwide scale to continue to safely and reliably serve customers, provide enhanced career opportunities for employees, and capitalize on significant growth opportunities in the utility and energy infrastructure industry," said Brian Palmer, CEO of PowerTeam, who will serve as CEO of the combined company.

(Houston, TX) — ExxonMobil Corporation filed an application on Jan. 13 with the Wyoming Industrial Siting Council to construct and operate the LaBarge Carbon Capture Project approximately 33 miles northeast of Kemmerer beginning in August.

The company plans to build a fully operational carbon-capture, sales and disposal project adding equipment at the Shute Creek Gas Plant in Lincoln County, and at the CO2 Sales Facility in Sweetwater County, constructing a CO2 disposal well in Lincoln County and building a 9-mile CO2 pipeline in Lincoln County.

The Shute Creek Gas Plant and CO2 Sales Facility are on ExxonMobil property and the CO2 disposal well and pipeline will be located on Bureau of Land Management property. Construction is anticipated to begin the third quarter of 2020 and be completed by the end of 2022. Construction manpower is anticipated to peak at an estimated 388 workers in August and September 2021.

A hearing regarding the application is scheduled for April 9 in Kemmerer.

Monthly average employment for construction jobs is expected to peak at 388. The project, once completed, is expected to have 11 permanent full-time jobs.

(Tulsa, OK) — Vacuworx is pleased to announce an increased presence in the Gulf Coast area with the promotion of Paul Raines from Production Manager to Regional Service Manager.

Raines is a service-oriented professional with the technical know-how, problem-solving abilities and organizational skills to ensure the highest levels of customer satisfaction. Factory trained and certified to inspect, service and repair all makes and models of Vacuworx lifting equipment, he has been strategically deployed north of San Antonio as Vacuworx anticipates current and future needs tied to growth potential in South and West Texas and throughout the Gulf Coast region.

Raines’ new role revolves around first-call resolution as he responds to service inquiries and provides front-line support to Vacuworx customers calling in over the phone and operating in both the oil and gas pipeline and construction-related fields. His primary duties include troubleshooting and resolving any service-related issues in a time-sensitive manner, at the same time performing safety checks and calibrating equipment for optimal performance.

Raines started his career with Vacuworx in 2007, and worked four years in the machine shop helping develop a plug-and-play wiring harness allowing for quicker coupling with host equipment. From there, he was deployed to take service calls in the field and later back in the shop as his range of responsibilities grew. For the past two years, he has been focused on managing new assemblies of Vacuworx lifting systems, from the heavy-duty RC Series to the compact and versatile PS 1 and SL 2.

“This position will allow us to answer more service calls in an even shorter amount of time,” said Justin Hendricks, General Manager. “The amount of time it takes for a technician to reach the job site will be decreased exponentially. In turn, we are creating more positive experi- ences to develop lasting relationships with customers who have zero room for any downtime.”

“By increasing our overall mobility, we can be more responsive to our customers in Texas, the Permian Basin and throughout the Gulf Coast region,” said Randy Hayes, Vice President of Business Development and Strategic Accounts. “It is all part of our aim to offer a world-class experience. Having a local presence from a service perspective is a definite competitive advantage.”

(Houston, TX) Air Products recently announced its largest-ever investment in the United States in winning a long-term onsite business model supply agreement for a project with Gulf Coast Ammonia (GCA) in Texas City, Texas. Air Products will build, own and operate (BOO) its largest-ever steam methane reformer (SMR) to produce hydrogen which will be connected to and extend, to approximately 700 miles, its existing and the world’s-largest hydrogen pipeline system in the Gulf Coast; BOO an air separation unit (ASU) to supply nitrogen; and will own and operate a steam turbine generator to supply power and other utilities to GCA’s new world-scale ammonia production plant. 

“This is an exciting project that we are very proud to have won. When all facets of this project are combined, it sets a new high for Air Products’ investment—$500 million—for one project in the United States. This project will showcase Air Products’ core strengths and capabilities supplying hydrogen from an SMR and nitrogen from an ASU, and leverages our core industrial gas strengths in many ways,” said Seifi Ghasemi, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Air Products. 

Ghasemi added, “In addition to this being our largest-ever U.S. investment, the project also sets other Air Products’ milestones. It will feature the largest SMR we have ever built and will operate, the largest per-day amount of hydrogen supplied to a single customer under one contract, and it increases the size and supply capacity of Air Products’ extensive hydrogen pipeline system in the Gulf Coast, which is the world’s largest. This is all successfully combined under a long-term contract for a project located in the United States.”  

“The project will meet or exceed all industry standards for the safe production of ammonia, applies world-class technology in production and storage, and will be the largest single train ammonia synthesis loop in the world when completed. We look forward to working with Air Products as a reliable, long-term supplier of high-quality feedstock to our facility,” said Ken Koye, president and chief executive officer of GCA. “GCA is investing $600 million in Texas City and creating new employment opportunities for Galveston County residents in the Texas City Reinvestment Zone.”

The pipeline segment of the project, which will transport hydrogen to Texas City, is targeted for onstream in the second half of 2021, with the remainder of the facilities expected to be in commercial operation in early 2023.

The approximately 175 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd) SMR will include the addition of over 30 miles of hydrogen pipeline from Texas City to Baytown, to be connected to Air Products’ Gulf Coast Pipeline system. The GCA project will use approximately 270 mmscfd of hydrogen from the SMR and Gulf Coast Pipeline. The hydrogen production plant will feature the latest technology to maximize energy efficiency and reduce emissions and includes optimal heat integration, which in turn lowers feedstock consumption. The plant configuration and deployed technologies support Air Products’ sustainability goals of reducing energy consumption and emissions.

(Houston, TX) As President, Mr. Collins will assume day-to-day leadership of CECO Pipeline Services.

Mr. Collins is a seasoned leader with significant experience working in the oil & gas industry, operating efficiently at scale, and delivering value to shareholders.

Before joining CECO Pipeline Services, Mr. Collins held the role of VP, Construction Management with TRC Companies, Inc. He has also held senior and executive level positions for the last 30 years with various oil & gas related companies such as Universal Pegasus International, NextEra Energy Resources and Spectra Energy.

Mr. Collins holds an MBA from Our Lady of the Lake University and a Bachelor's Degree in Construction Management from the University of Louisiana at Monroe.

"We are excited to have Monty join our team at CECO Pipeline Services," stated Richard Hotze, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of CPSC. "His extensive leadership experience in the oil & gas sector and operational background will be of tremendous benefit, and his proven track record of delivering on production and costs will be invaluable as we advance the Company's business strategies."

(Denver, CO) Outrigger Energy II (“Outrigger”) announced recently that it has entered into a long-term definitive gas gathering and processing agreement with XTO Energy, Inc. (“XTO”) to service XTO’s production in Williams County, ND. The gathering system will comprise a 70-mile, 20- and 24-inch diameter, rich gas pipeline originating in eastern Williams County and terminating at a new 250 MMcfd cryogenic gas processing plant located west of Williston, ND. Plans are also underway for a plant expansion of up to an additional 200 MMcfd, for total gas processing capacity of 450 MMcfd.

Outrigger will construct, own and operate the cryogenic processing plant and gathering system. The high efficiency plant features ethane recovery and rejection capabilities that will provide direct market access to the Northern Border Pipeline system for residue gas and the ONEOK NGL pipeline system for natural gas liquids. Future NGL fractionation facilities may be added to provide finished NGL products for local markets.

Dave Keanini, Outrigger’s CEO, stated, “We are grateful XTO has entrusted Outrigger to build a gathering system with substantial capacity and state-of-the-art facilities that will assist XTO with execution of its significant development plans in Williams County. Routing of the gathering line will provide other Williston Basin operators access to much needed gathering and cryogenic processing capacity. Moreover, this additional midstream capacity for gas production north of the Missouri River allows the State of North Dakota to make strides towards its goal of minimizing gas flaring in the Basin. Over the last six years, the Outrigger team has achieved an excellent track record of project execution, safe and reliable operations and customer service in the Delaware, Midland, Powder River and DJ Basins, and we couldn’t be more excited for the opportunity to do the same in North Dakota.”

(Wall, NJ) The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity for the Adelphia Gateway project and affirmed the need for reliable pipeline infrastructure to serve constrained markets.

“We are pleased FERC approved the Adelphia Gateway project and issued a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity,” said Steve Westhoven, President and Chief Executive Officer of New Jersey Resources, the parent company of Adelphia Gateway. “This is a critical next step in our efforts to provide clean, low-cost natural gas to customers in the Greater Philadelphia region.”

The Adelphia Gateway project will convert 50 miles of an existing 84-mile pipeline from oil to natural gas. The northern 34 miles of the pipeline were previously converted to deliver natural gas in 1996. After the purchase of Interstate Energy Company and the existing pipeline from Talen Generation, LLC are finalized, the northern zone will continue to operate to serve two natural gas-fired generation facilities in Lower Mount Bethel Township, PA. Once all the necessary regulatory approvals are obtained, work to convert the lower 50 miles of the pipeline from oil to natural gas will begin.

Adelphia Gateway currently expects work to be complete and the project to be placed into service in 2020. The natural gas supply delivered through the Adelphia Gateway pipeline will serve customers in the Greater Philadelphia area and is estimated to provide economic benefits of approximately $677 million over the first 15 years it is in service.

The pipeline will supply natural gas to Kimberly-Clark’s mill in Chester, PA, enabling the global personal care company to replace its existing on-site coal-fired co-generation power plant. By switching to a natural gas-fired generation power plant, Kimberly-Clark expects to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions from the facility by 50 percent.

(Columbus, OH) -- Columbia Gas is proposing construction on a new $135 million pipeline to be built in central Ohio.

The company says a new supply of gas is needed in order to keep providing reliable service to old and new customers in the region.

The project, which is called the Columbus Northern Loop project, is designed to bring natural gas from pipelines east of where supplies are plentiful to areas north and west of Columbus.

The company says several other recent projects have already been finished, which have set the stage for the Northern Loop project.

A company spokesperson says the project will cost $135 million, but could not offer any further breakdown regarding exact costs, stating that the project is in the early planning stages.

The final phase is currently in the planning stages and will run from southern Delaware County to southwest Union County, where it will connect to the existing gas distribution system.

Another part of the initiative, called the Marysville Connector project, is designed to bring natural gas to Union County.

Columbia Gas says it will meet with property owners, public officials and other community members during the construction.

Crews are planning to conduct land surveys and meet with property owners to gather information regarding where the new line could be located.

In using this information, the company will develop several possible routes for the pipeline.

Members of the public will have the chance to review the plans and offer input that will help decide the final route.,

The company says it hopes to have approval for the complete project secured by 2021. Construction would start in 2022 and the gas lines would go into service sometime during that same year.

(Virginia Beach, VA) More natural gas infrastructure may be on the way in Virginia as plans move forward for a major new plant in Charles City County.

Privately financed natural gas plant known as C4GT is driving a recent application by Virginia Natural Gas to construct 24.1 new miles of pipeline, build two new compressor stations and expand an existing facility in Ladysmith.

The new infrastructure, said Virginia Natural Gas media relations manager Rick DelaHaya, is “required for Virginia Natural Gas to meet its legal obligation to provide the facility a pathway to source clean and reliable natural gas.”

(Wall, NJ) The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity for the Adelphia Gateway project and affirmed the need for reliable pipeline infrastructure to serve constrained markets.

"We are pleased FERC approved the Adelphia Gateway project and issued a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity," said Steve Westhoven, President and Chief Executive Officer of New Jersey Resources, the parent company of Adelphia Gateway. "This is a critical next step in our efforts to provide clean, low-cost natural gas to customers in the Greater Philadelphia region."

The Adelphia Gateway project will convert 50 miles of an existing 84-mile pipeline from oil to natural gas. The northern 34 miles of the pipeline were previously converted to deliver natural gas in 1996. After the purchase of Interstate Energy Company and the existing pipeline from Talen Generation, LLC are finalized, the northern zone will continue to operate to serve two natural gas-fired generation facilities in Lower Mount Bethel Township, PA. Once all the necessary regulatory approvals are obtained, work to convert the lower 50 miles of the pipeline from oil to natural gas will begin.

Adelphia Gateway currently expects work to be complete and the project to be placed into service in 2020.The natural gas supply delivered through the Adelphia Gateway pipeline will serve customers in the Greater Philadelphia area and is estimated to provide economic benefits of approximately $677 million over the first 15 years it is in service.

The pipeline will supply natural gas to Kimberly-Clark's mill in Chester, PA, enabling the global personal care company to replace its existing on-site coal-fired co-generation power plant. By switching to a natural gas-fired generation power plant, Kimberly-Clark expects to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions from the facility by 50 percent.

The FERC process is designed to determine public convenience and necessity for the construction or extension of natural gas facilities. As part of the application review, FERC evaluates a variety of factors, such as market demand, environmental impact and safety. FERC Staff previously completed an Environmental Assessment (EA) of the Adelphia Gateway project, citing its design poses no significant environmental impact and is the preferred path forward for the project.

A nearly 45-mile crude oil pipeline that would run from Memphis to Marshall County, Mississippi, is being proposed by a joint venture of Plains All American Pipeline and Valero Energy Corp.

The pipeline, named the Byhalia Connection, would connect two existing crude oil pipelines: the Diamond Pipeline that supplies the Valero Memphis Refinery with crude oil and the Capline Pipeline that runs between Illinois and the Gulf Coast.

The currently proposed route has the pipeline start near North Rivergate Road in South Memphis. It would then snake south into Mississippi and go east into the Hernando area. The pipeline would then cross Interstate 55 before traveling through DeSoto County and going into Marshall County, south of Collierville.

Karen Rugaard, manager of communications and public affairs for Plains All American Pipeline, said the proposed route comes after months of discussions with local leaders and landowners, but added that it could change. Byhalia will hold open houses about the pipeline starting in January.

“We feel good about this proposed route at this point in time,” Rugaard said.

Under Byhalia’s current project timeline, construction is slated to start in the second half of 2020. The pipeline would then be in service in the second half of 2021.

(Tuxpan, Mexico) Mexico plans to shortly launch a young for the development of a pure gasoline pipeline between the Tuxpan port on the eastern coast to Cancun and Merida on the Yucatan peninsula, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said at his common information convention recently.

The brand new pure fuel pipeline is aimed toward enhancing the electricity era within the standard vacationer cities within the space, together with Cancun, based on Mexico’s president.

Mexico’s pure gasoline demand rises with extra pure gasoline-fired energy vegetation; however, the nation’s fuel manufacturing cannot sustain with rising demand. Mexico imports loads of pure gasoline from the USA, with American pure fuel exports to Mexico at a record high.

(Wentzville, MO) MoGas is considering an expansion of the capacity of its natural gas pipeline system to approximately 200,000 dekatherms per day (Dt/day) from its current capacity of 125,000 Dt/day.

Based on the timing of required permitting and construction activities, MoGas expects that the natural gas pipeline expansion would be operational in the fourth quarter of 2020.

MoGas owns an approximately 263-mile FERC-regulated interstate natural gas pipeline system serving the St. Louis area and central Missouri, which delivers natural gas to both investor-owned and municipal local distribution systems. MoGas has pipeline receipt and delivery interconnects with Rockies Express Pipeline LLC (REX), Panhandle Eastern Pipe Line Company, LP (PEPL) and Enable Mississippi River Transmission, LLC (MRT).

“We are conducting this open season to solicit shipper interest for firm transportation service to the MoGas MRT interconnect in the east, as well as delivery points in the western portion of our system. Through our receipt points, MoGas shippers have access to natural gas produced in the Rocky Mountain, Marcellus, Arkoma and Gulf Coast regions,” said Rick Kreul, President of MoGas Pipeline, LLC. “Depending on interest, MoGas may install a parallel pipeline, or ‘looping,’ in the northwestern part of our system to provide up to 75,000 dekatherms per day of additional capacity from the REX and PEPL interconnections. We are also open to discussions on further expansions of capacity at similar rates if shippers show interest.”

(Tulsa, OK) – Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P.  announced today a supplemental open season to solicit additional commitments for transportation volume on the western leg of its refined petroleum products pipeline system in Texas. Binding commitments are due from interested customers by 5:00 p.m. Central Time on Dec. 20, 2019.

Magellan is in the process of expanding the capacity of its west Texas refined products pipeline system to approximately 175,000 barrels per day (bpd) from its current capacity of 100,000 bpd. In addition, the partnership is currently building a new refined products terminal in Midland, Texas.

Based on the timing of current construction activities, Magellan expects both the west Texas refined products pipeline expansion and new Midland terminal to be operational in mid-2020.

Magellan’s west Texas pipeline system primarily transports gasoline and diesel fuel to demand centers in Abilene, Midland/Odessa and El Paso, Texas as well as New Mexico. The pipeline system also can access markets in Arizona and Mexico via connections to third-party pipelines.

Subject to the results of the supplemental open season launched today, Magellan is considering the addition of another 25,000 bpd of capacity on the west Texas pipeline, for a total capacity up to 200,000 bpd, which could be operational by the end of 2021.

Citing growth and the need for additional space, Bass Engineering has built and moved into a 24,000-square-foot building in Longview, TX. The company, which provides cathodic protection services and materials to oil and gas pipeline production companies, among other industries, had been at 3200 Brentwood Rd., for more than 50 years. The company relocated to 5944 Lou Galosy Way on Nov. 1, 2019.

The new headquarters has enough space for the company’s employees, as well as classrooms for continuing education on pipeline compliance, among other topics. The property offers an outdoor lab equipped with buried pipelines and cathodic protection equipment, to provide hands-on training. Also included are retail space for customers and a drive-through warehouse.

Changes to the proposed route of a major north-south natural gas pipeline that will pass through eastern Avoyelles Parish has extended the period for public comments. The path in Avoyelles brings the pipeline through the Simmesport, Odenburg and Woodside areas along the Atchafalya River basin. Currently, there are at least two other pipelines in Avoyelles, one in Ward One/Fifth Ward and another in Bunkie.

With new drilling techniques there are more productive natural gas wells in the United States, resulting in the need for more pipelines to feed into the new natural gas international distribution center in Lake Charles.

Property owners and other concerned citizens must submit their comments to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) by Nov. 15. Those who commented prior to the changes do not need to refile their comments.

The Delta Express Pipeline will begin in Richland Parish in northeast Louisiana and pass through all or parts of Franklin, Catahoula, Concordia, Avoyelles, St. Landry, Pointe Coupee, West Baton Rouge, Iberville, Ascension, Assumption, Lafourche, Jefferson and Plaquemines parishes.

The project involves the construction of a liquified natural gas (LNG) export terminal in Plaquemines Parish and two parallel 42-inch-diameter pipelines in a 285-mile-long right of way through the 14 affected parishes.

A FERC informational packet notes that most proposed route changes are less than a half mile from the original route with the largest change being about two miles to the west in Richland Parish.

The FERC release noted that newly affected landowners may have already been contacted by Delta LNG.

(College Station, TX) – Advanced Geodetic Surveys, Inc. of Damon, TX is among the top 100 companies from around the world selected for the 15th annual Aggie 100 which honors the fastest-growing companies owned or operated by former students of Texas A&M University. AGS was recognized as number 26 with a compound annual growth rate of 68.26%. The Aggie 100 is founded and sponsored by the McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship at Texas A&M University.

AGS has been providing its clients with unparalleled value and service since 1991.  A leader in the survey equipment sales and rental industry, AGS has found success by continuing to put client needs and quality of service above all else.  President of AGS Todd Traylor, a 1991 A&M graduate, gives credit to the entire AGS team for building a family-like atmosphere that creates customer loyalty.  “Our team goes out of their way to put customers first, which has allowed us to become one of the fastest-growing companies in our industry.  We are appreciative to the McFerrin Center of Entrepreneurship for recognizing the hard work that owner PJ Meyers has been doing for years, and for naming AGS to the Aggie 100.  We are also appreciative to our customers that value the quality service and competitive advantages we offer them.”  In addition to Traylor, AGS is also represented by fellow Aggie Doug Arnold, Class of 2009, who serves as an Account Manager.

The 100 Aggie-owned companies with the highest compound annual revenue growth from 2016 to 2018 were recognized at a formal celebration at the Hall of Champions at Texas A&M University’s Kyle Field on Friday, Oct. 25, 2019. The honorees were joined in celebration by family, friends, employees, faculty, administrators, current students, and fellow entrepreneurs.

“As we mark the 15th Crystal Anniversary of the Aggie 100 program, we celebrate our success by raising up the newest class of Aggie 100 honorees. Knowing how each member company of the Class of 2019 has overcome their own adversities to reach astounding levels of growth and prosperity, we dedicate this significant milestone to the excellence exhibited by our newest additions to the Aggie 100 family” said Blake Petty, Director of the McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship.

(SAN ANTONIO, TX) EPIC Crude Holdings, LP announced that it is opening a third Open Season for its EPIC Crude Oil Pipeline (the “Crude Oil Pipeline”). The Open Season will commence at 8 AM CDT on October 28, 2019 and will end on December 17, 2019 at 5 PM CST. The Crude Oil Pipeline successfully closed its first Open Season on July 26, 2018 and its second Open Season on September 28, 2018.

The Crude Oil Pipeline runs parallel to the EPIC Y-Grade Pipeline (the “Y-Grade Pipeline”) that extends from Orla, Texas to the Port of Corpus Christi, Texas and includes terminals in Orla, Saragosa, Crane, Wink, Midland, Upton, Hobson and Gardendale, with connectivity to the Corpus Refining market as well as multiple terminals in the Port of Corpus Christi for export access. The Crude Oil Pipeline services the Delaware, Midland and Eagle Ford Basins.

EPIC began interim crude operations in August, utilizing the 24-inch Y-Grade Pipeline, which can ship up to 400 thousand barrels of oil per day (MBbl/d) and stretches from Crane, Texas to terminals in Corpus Christi and Ingleside. Once the planned 30-inch Crude Oil Pipeline is completed in Q1 of 2020, EPIC will have initial capacity to transport 600 MBbl/d. The Crude Oil Pipeline is expandable to transport up to 900 MBbl/d.

The EPIC Crude Export Dock in Corpus Christi is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2019 and will be capable of loading Aframax tankers that carry up to 750 MBbl. Additionally, EPIC is constructing a second crude export dock to be complete by the third quarter of 2020 and with a capability of loading Suezmax tankers that carry up to 1,000 MBbl.

(Casper, WY) Bridger Pipeline LLC has launched a dedicated website for information about its planned expansion across three states. The site, www.bridgerexpansion.com went live last week.The website has information on the proposed expansion in Wyoming, North Dakota and Montana and includes preliminary route maps, contact information for landowners, FAQs, and a link for the public, media and public officials to ask questions of the company. Bridger Pipeline is expanding in Wyoming with a 20-inch crude oil pipeline from Hulett to Guernsey. The new pipeline in Wyoming will be called “Equality” and run about 191 miles.

The expansion in North Dakota and Montana is a 16-inch crude oil pipeline from Johnson Corner, ND to Baker, MT. The new line will be called “South Bend” and run about 137 miles.

The Equality Pipeline is scheduled to be operational in the third quarter of 2020. The South Bend Pipeline is scheduled to begin operations in mid-2021.

(Dallas, TX) Holly Energy Partners, L.P. and Plains All American Pipeline recently announced the formation of a 50/50 joint venture, Cushing Connect Pipeline & Terminal LLC for the development and construction of a new 160,000 barrel per day common carrier crude oil pipeline that will connect the Cushing, Oklahoma crude oil hub to the Tulsa, Oklahoma refining complex owned by a subsidiary of HollyFrontier Corporation and the ownership and operation of 1.5 million barrels of crude oil storage in Cushing, Oklahoma. The JV Terminal is expected to be in service during the second quarter of 2020, and the Pipeline is expected to be in service during the first quarter of 2021. Long-term commercial agreements have been entered into to support the Joint Venture assets.

The Joint Venture will contract with an affiliate of HEP to manage the construction and operation of the Pipeline and with an affiliate of Plains to manage the operation of the JV Terminal. The total Joint Venture investment will be shared proportionately among the partners and is estimated to total approximately $130 million, including the existing JV Terminal contributed by Plains valued at approximately $40 million. The Joint Venture is expected to generate an initial annual EBITDA multiple of approximately 8x to 9x once the JV Terminal and Pipeline are placed into Joint Venture service.

“The new Joint Venture will provide growth to HEP by insourcing logistics spend and provide the capability to supply 100% of HFC’s Tulsa Refinery crude throughput,” commented George Damiris, Chief Executive Officer of the general partner of Holly Energy Partners. “Our partnership with Plains generates HEP growth while providing HFC long-term control of a strategic asset.”

“This win-win Joint Venture aligns with our strategy of optimizing existing assets to provide value-chain solutions for long-term industry partners in a capital efficient manner,” stated Jeremy Goebel, Executive Vice President – Commercial, Plains All American. “This investment expands our relationship with a key operational hub service customer and provides additional long-term alignment on movements to the Tulsa refinery.”

(Houston, TX) - NextDecade Corporation and Enbridge Inc. announced recently a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to jointly pursue the development of the Rio Bravo Pipeline (Rio Bravo) and other natural gas pipelines in South Texas to transport natural gas to NextDecade's Rio Grande LNG project located in Brownsville, Texas. Rio Bravo is designed to transport 4.5 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas from the Agua Dulce area to Rio Grande LNG.

Matt Schatzman, NextDecade's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer said, "Enbridge is one of North America'sleading energy infrastructure companies and we look forward to exploring a strong partnership in South Texas. With its Texas Eastern Pipeline and recently completed Valley Crossing Pipeline, Enbridge has extensive permitting, construction, and operating experience in the State of Texas, especially in South Texas."

Bill Yardley, Enbridge's President of Gas Transmission and Midstream said, "We are excited to be working with NextDecade for pipeline solutions to the Rio Grande LNG facility. Our existing infrastructure fits very well with the Brownsville location. This is a continuation of our strategy to bring our major projects execution and permitting capability to the expanding LNG export efforts in North America."

The companies anticipate finalizing definitive documentation reflecting the terms of the MOU in the fourth quarter of 2019.

(Houston, TX) - Enterprise Products Partners L.P. announced plans to expand and extend its Acadian natural gas system to deliver growing volumes of natural gas from the Haynesville Shale to the liquefied natural gas (“LNG”) market in South Louisiana. The project will include construction of an approximately 80-mile pipeline originating near Cheneyville, Louisiana on Enterprise’s Acadian Haynesville Extension to third party interconnects near Gillis, Louisiana, including multiple pipelines serving LNG export facilities in South Louisiana and southeast Texas. In aggregate, the LNG export market for this region includes design send out capacity currently operating or under construction of approximately 15 billion cubic feet per day (“Bcf/d”). The Gillis Lateral will have a capacity of approximately 1 Bcf/d.

As part of the project, Enterprise also plans to increase capacity on the Acadian Haynesville Extension by adding horsepower at its Mansfield compressor station in De Soto Parish. When completed, the expansion and extension project will increase the Acadian system’s capability to transport Haynesville natural gas production from 1.8 Bcf/d to 2.1 Bcf/d. The project is supported by long-term customer contracts and is expected to begin service in mid-2021.

“The Haynesville region currently produces approximately 11 Bcf/d of natural gas, which is expected to grow to approximately 14 Bcf/d by 2025,” said A.J. “Jim” Teague, chief executive officer of Enterprise’s general partner. “The expansion and extension of the Acadian system enhances our capability to link supply to some of the most attractive markets in the U.S. Once this project is completed, our Acadian system will be able to deliver a total of 2.1 Bcf/d of Haynesville production into the LNG market, South Louisiana industrial complex and other interconnects that serve attractive southeastern U.S. markets.”