Operations
EPA Fines Enbridge $6.7M Over Pipeline Safety Issues
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has fined Enbridge nearly $7 million for allegedly failing to quickly resolve pipeline safety issues.
Technology Meets Mega Rule Materials Verification Challenge Head On
With the implementation of the Mega Rule, U.S. pipeline owners and operators will be required to provide traceable, verifiable and complete (TVC) records that confirm the physical and operational characteristics of the pipeline meet the new requirements.
BP Turns Over Rights to Operate South Caucasus Pipeline
BP has turned over rights to operate the South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP), part of the network that is due to start carrying gas from Azerbaijan to Europe this year, to a unit of Azeri state energy firm SOCAR.
Pipeline Operator Energy Transfer Warns of Coming Job Cuts
Dallas-based pipeline operator Energy Transfer will begin cutting about 6% of its workforce next week, as the impact of weak oil and gas prices continued to spread through the energy industry.
Coating Repairs Under Way on Enbridge Line 5 pipeline
Enbridge reported it has begun repairing gaps in the protective coating on its Line 5 pipeline in Michigan's Straits of Mackinac after the damage was discovered during routine maintenance that began early this month.
NACE Partially Reopens Houston Training Center, Offers Online Courses
NACE International will begin reopening its Houston-based training center at the end of the month.
Correct Pigs, Procedures for Hydrostatic Testing of New Pipelines
Laying a cross-country pipeline is expensive. Many hours of engineering and planning must meet certain standards and regulations and receive federal government approval before starting construction. It costs approximately $100,000 per diameter-inch-mile to build a pipeline in a reasonable lay area. This number can easily triple in marsh lands, hills, mountains and rocky terrain. In those areas it could cost about $20 million to lay 100 miles (161 km) of 20-inch pipe.
For Inspection and Pressure, How Low Can the Gathering Sector Go?
As natural gas assets are beginning to age, there is a larger need for integrity solutions in this area. The challenge with these assets is that they often operate at lower pressures, which can make running a conventional inline inspection tool difficult.
Tips for Safe, Successful Horizontal Directional Drilling
Over the last 25 years, I have been involved with designing and inspecting horizontal directional drills (HDD) for pipeline construction, attending numerous seminars, purchasing many texts and reading countless white papers related to the subject. Of much more educational value (and fun) is the many hours spent on drilling sites, asking questions and listening intently to the folks running the drill.
Shell Midstream Offers Mars Sour Crude Storage as Offshore Producers Keep Pumping
Shell Midstream is offering to store barrels of Mars Sour crude as offshore producers continue to pump oil amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Ecopetrol Condemns Attacks on Oil Pipelines
Ecopetrol's oil transportation unit condemned a series of attacks in north east Colombia that have taken place against two of its pipelines since last Saturday.
Regulators Ease Storage Rules, Fees for Texas Producers
Texas oil and gas regulators voted to temporarily relax their rules for underground crude storage and waive related fees and surcharges that producers typically pay.
Texas Eastern Gas Pipeline Explodes in Kentucky
Enbridge responded to an explosion Monday evening on Line 10 of its Texas Eastern system in Kentucky, and said Tuesday that it has shut-in a section of the pipeline. Gas futures rose on the news.
Moda Midstream Completes 10 Million Barrel Crude Oil Storage Expansion
Moda Midstream has placed its final 495,000-barrel oil storage tank into service at its 10-million-barrel storage facilities in Texas.
PHMSA Eases Pipeline Regulations, Enforcement in Response to Pandemic
Responding to the impact Covid-19 on midstream staffing and resources, PHMSA has issued two guidance documents to ease some operating requirements, allow discretion in enforcement and provide flexibility to support the critical needs of state and industry partners.
NACE-SSPC Merger Approved by Members
NACE International announced late Wednesday that its members have voted to approve the association’s proposal to combine with SSPC: The Society for Protective Coatings.
Remaining Oil Storage in Cushing, OK is Already Booked — Traders
Oil traders have said the remaining storage space for crude oil in Cushing, Oklahoma, the largest storage site in the U.S., is already completely booked up by producers.
Producers Scramble for Storage Space as Oil Glut Grows
Oil producers are scrambling to find storage space for excess barrels, many being forced to pay storage companies to take oil as prices turned negative on Monday for the first time in history due to an unprecedented slump in demand.
Buried Pipe Failures Dependent on Soil Stiffness, Too
Performance limits and potential failures must be identified for buried pipe design. Chief among those are excessive deformations of the pipe, wall buckling and collapse.
Electromagnetic Measurements Used in NDT for Pipeline Coating in Mexico
Corrosion is the chemical process through which metal tries to return to its original or mineral state. In the case of buried pipelines, the metal is exposed to corrosive processes that may eventually cause ruptures with the consequent environmental and economic damages.
Control Centers at the Heart of Innovation, Advancement
Just as technology advances helped drive U.S. oil and gas producers to new heights, operators of the energy highways – the pipelines and their sophisticated control centers – are increasingly harnessing innovation to gain efficiency.
U.S. Crude Stocks Jump by Record 19 Million Barrels: EIA
Crude oil stockpiles in the U.S. rose by 19 million barrels last week, the largest one-week increase in history.
France's CIM's Storage Tanks Brimming on Low Oil Demand
Oil tanks at France's storage and dispatch services company CIM are completely full due to the glut in global oil supply and the sharp drop in products demand, the director general of the company said.
AGA Chair Diane Leopold Brings Positive Outlook to Challenging Period for Industry
Diane Leopold became chair of the American Gas Association just in time for an unprecedented economic shutdown in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The executive vice president and co-chief operating officer of Dominion Energy, talked to P&GJ about the challenges and opportunities facing the natural gas industry.
Gazprom Workers Leave Hospital After Negative Coronavirus Tests
Twenty Gazprom workers, who were airlifted to a hospital following a coronavirus scare last week, have been discharged after the tests came back negative, a Gazprom spokesman said on Monday.
Coronavirus Choppers Evacuate Offshore Workers
Offshore aviation company Bristow Group said it has deployed specially-equipped helicopters from its Search and Rescue (SAR) fleet to transport offshore workers with suspected cases of the novel coronavirus in the North Sea and Americas regions.
U.S. to Buy 30 Million Barrels of Oil to Help Fill Strategic Reserve
President Trump has directed the U.S. Department of Energy to begin purchasing crude oil to fill the country's Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
Global Oil Storage May Hit Capacity Within Months — Analysts
Industry analysts are predicting oil storage availability around the globe may reach capacity within months.
Traders Race for Storage as Oil Price Plunges
Oil traders are racing to buy up storage as oil prices plummet amid the Saudi/Russian price war.
Vacuum Lifting More Common Among Pipehandlers
Commonly, pipes are stacked several meters high in the shape of a pyramid, meaning that in order to attach lifting equipment, someone must climb the stack. This can be a dangerous situation; however, lifting by vacuum offers a solution.
- U.S. Supreme Court Sides with Atlantic Coast Pipeline in Appalachian Trail Dispute
- U.S. Court Orders Dakota Access Pipeline Shut, Emptied
- TC Energy Selects Michels Canada to Build Keystone XL Pipeline in Canada
- Easement Agreement Serves as Last Word Concerning ROW Issues
- Correct Pigs, Procedures for Hydrostatic Testing of New Pipelines
