Operations
Editor’s Notebook: Nord Stream Questions Grow Murkier
(P&GJ) — While the investigation into who deliberately blew up Nord Stream continues, the operator of the previously functional first line appears to be taking a serious look at how it will seal and empty the pipeline before more damage occurs.
Worksite Safety: Defining Fundamental Drivers of Learning On-Site Procedures
(P&GJ) — Quick! How many rescue breaths should you administer after providing chest compressions to an unresponsive, non-breathing accident victim during CPR?
Pipeline Operator Enbridge Acquires Gas Storage Facility in British Columbia for $295 Million
The storage facility, which is connected to all three major long-haul natural gas transportation lines in Western Canada including Enbridge's Westcoast Pipeline and Alliance Pipeline, has a working storage capacity of 77 Bcf, the company said.
TC Energy Declares Force Majeure on 3,300-Mile Columbia Gulf Pipeline After Fire in Mississippi
Canadian energy company TC Energy Corp. said on Friday that its Columbia Gulf Transmission unit declared a force majeure event at its Corinth natural gas compressor station in Mississippi due to a fire, which had been extinguished.
Shell's Zydeco Pipeline Shut on April 25 After Oil Leak
Shell Pipeline Co.'s Zydeco oil pipeline — which alleviates transportation bottlenecks of crude arriving in Houston from the Eagle Ford, Permian and Bakken regions — was shut on April 25 after a limited release of crude oil was detected in the Intracoastal Waterway.
Italy's Energy Dome Raises $44 Million to Focus on CO2 Storage in US
Energy Dome, an Italian startup focusing on CO2 energy storage solutions, said on Friday it had raised 40 million euros ($44 million) from investors to fund expansion in the U.S.
Pig Removal: Recovering an Obstruction in Pressurized 48-Inch Pipeline
(P&GJ) —Following the completion of an offshore pipeline isolation project, STATS were asked by the client if they could offer a solution to a problem of an obstruction in their 48-inch gas export pipeline. During routine launching of an inline inspection tool, a slipper tray was accidently carried into the pipeline and lodged in the first pipeline bend, above grade, about 39 meters from the launcher door.
Offshore Pipeline Design for CCUS
(P&GJ) — Design and construction of CO2 pipelines are similar to natural gas transmission pipelines. However, there are differences like: thermodynamic modeling, blow down modeling, specifying the maximum water content, pipeline fracture propagation control, use of elastomer materials and performing a quantitative risk assessment, mainly related to release modeling and defining the allowable exposure limits. These factors require special attention for CO2 pipelines, when compared with natural gas.
PHMSA Update: Leak Detection Rules Point to Value of Regulation Compliance Service
(P&GJ) — To be able to operate within their regions, the onus is on pipeline operators to abide by leak detection and incident response rules. Federal regulators like the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) regularly implement new standards as part of their renewed focus on leak detection for natural gas and hazardous liquid pipelines to ensure the people, public and environment are kept safe.
Control Rooms: Achieving SCADA Operational Readiness, Compliance
(P&GJ) — Implementing a comprehensive control room management (CRM) plan in today’s energy market can be a challenging task in that integrating it with modern supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems adds layers of complexity to the project’s implementation and compliance requirements.
Cenit: Colombia's Transandino Oil Pipeline Bombed
The Transandino Pipeline runs along Colombia's border with Ecuador, taking up to 85,000 barrels of crude per day to an export terminal in Tumaco, a Pacific port in the country's Narino province.
Pipeline Operator TC Energy Says Keystone Oil Spill Caused by Fatigue Crack
Canada's TC Energy on Friday said a 14,000-barrel oil spill from its Keystone pipeline in rural Kansas in December was primarily due to a progressive fatigue crack, which originated during the construction of the pipeline.
Colombia's Cano Limon-Covenas Pipeline Attacked for Ninth Time in 2023
The suspension of pumping operations at Colombia's Cano Limon-Covenas oil pipeline will be prolonged after a new bombing attack damaged its infrastructure in the country's Arauca province, oil transportation company Cenit said.
Williams, MPLX, WES DJ Gathering Reach Settlement with EPA, DOJ Over Methane Leaks
The settlements announced by the Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency require the three natural gas processors to pay a combined $9.25 million in civil penalties and make about $16 million in improvements at plants and compressor stations.
Tech Notes: Unpiggable In-Line Inspection Completed in South America
(P&GJ) — A team of Dexon pipeline engineers recently completed the inspection of a 20-mile (32-km), 3-inch diameter unpiggable or “challenging” underground petrochemical distribution pipeline, running from an onshore processing facility to a port on the South American coast.
Italy's Eni, Snam Offer Slovakia Gas Supply and Storage
Italy's energy group Eni and gas grid operator Snam on Thursday signed two agreements with Slovakia's biggest energy provider SPP for the supply and storage of gas and LNG.
Gazprom Says Europe Set to Struggle Refilling Gas Storage for Next Winter
It will be very difficult for Europe to refill its gas storage to last year's levels after the continent ended the winter heating season with relatively low stockpiles, Russian natural gas giant Gazprom said on Tuesday.
US Warns Companies Over Russian Oil Price Cap Evasion Via ESPO Pipeline
The U.S. Treasury published a warning to U.S. companies on Monday of possible evasions of the Russian oil price cap exported through the Eastern Siberia Pacific Ocean (ESPO) pipeline and ports in eastern Russia.
Security of Supply Concerns Prompt Arctic Barents Sea Gas Pipeline Rethink in Norway
Building a pipeline to transport gas produced in the Arctic Barents Sea could be worth re-examining due to an increased focus on supply security and Norway exporting more of its gas to Europe, gas infrastructure operator Gassco said on Monday.
US Plans to Refill Strategic Reserve If Advantageous to Taxpayers This Year
The Biden administration plans to refill the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve soon and hopes to refill it at lower oil prices if it's advantageous to taxpayers during the rest of the year, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said on Wednesday.
Malaysia's Petronas to Restart Gas Pipeline Operations by Q1 2024
Malaysia's national oil company Petroliam Nasional Berhad aims to restart a gas pipeline currently under force majeure by the first quarter of 2024, a senior company executive said on Wednesday.
Poland Sets Exclusion Zone Around Swinoujscie LNG Terminal
Poland will introduce a temporary 200-meter exclusion zone around its Swinoujscie LNG terminal on Thursday, the interior minister said on Wednesday, citing concerns about Russian espionage.
Amplify Energy Restarts San Pedro Bay Pipeline Damaged by Anchor Strike
(P&GJ) — Amplify Energy Corp. has received the required approvals from federal regulatory agencies to restart operations at the Beta Field, the company said on April 10. The 17-mile San Pedro Bay Pipeline, which transports crude oil from multiple offshore sites to a processing facility in Long Beach, will be the company's initial effort to resume full operations.
Spire Adds Storage in Rockies, Western US
(P&GJ) — To meet the growing energy demands in the Rockies and Western U.S., Spire Storage is expanding its facilities in Wyoming, with partial availability of additional natural gas storage capacity becoming available in 2024.
Pipeline Operator Enbridge to Invest $2.9 Billion to Build Ammonia Plant in Texas
Norwegian fertilizer maker Yara and Canadian pipeline operator Enbridge plan to invest up to $2.9 billion to build a low-carbon blue ammonia production plant in Texas, they said on Friday. The plant, which would be Yara's biggest, would be built at an Enbridge oil storage and export facility near Corpus Christi, with production to start around 2027-28.
Creative Coating Solutions Make for Smooth Pipeline Expansion
(P&GJ) — How does an ambitious gas pipeline expansion, running nearly half the width of Texas, get coated? One spiral weld section of pipe at a time. To protect the more than 250 miles of new pipe added to the Whistler Pipeline in the southwest of the Lone Star State, applicators got inventive – creating an efficient and resourceful approach that helped the job flow as smoothly as the energy resources the pipeline now carries to millions of customers.
Tech Notes: Getting Pipeline Integrity Data Assessment Under Control
(P&GJ) — Effective integrity management and compliance with newly released regulatory requirements rely on accurate and reliable data. Many operators have data management systems containing voluminous datasets representing their pipeline systems.
SGA’s New Chair Stresses Operational Excellence
(P&GJ) — The new chair of the Southern Gas Association (SGA), Luke Litteken, started his career in natural gas right out of technical college taking a job with Minnegasco (now CenterPoint Energy) in Minnesota as a technician, partly because he enjoys the outdoors. Twenty-five years later, he had the opportunity to move over to Xcel Energy, where he is now the senior vice president of the gas business.
Pipeline Leak Detection Audits Provide Invaluable Insights
(P&GJ) — Ensuring the continuing effectiveness of leak detection systems (LDS) is paramount for pipeline operators to meet tightening safety and environmental regulations and minimize the potential risks of catastrophic events.
South Africa's Transnet Halts Gas Supplies After Pipeline Damage
South Africa's Transnet has halted gas supplies through its Durban pipeline after an excavator damaged it, the state-owned logistics utility said on Friday.
- Keystone Oil Pipeline Resumes Operations After Temporary Shutdown
- Freeport LNG Plant Runs Near Zero Consumption for Fifth Day
- Biden Administration Buys Oil for Emergency Reserve Above Target Price
- Mexico Seizes Air Liquide's Hydrogen Plant at Pemex Refinery
- Enbridge to Invest $500 Million in Pipeline Assets, Including Expansion of 850-Mile Gray Oak Pipeline
