Seventeen (17) New Permits -- The Williston Basin, North Dakota, USA; Miscellaneous Energy News

Active rigs: 181 (holding steady)

Two Gullickson Trust permits were renewed. 

Seventeen (17) new permits --

• Operators: HRC (5), Triangle (4), Petro-Hunt (3), Whiting (2), Samson Resources (2), Oasis
• Fields: Strandahl (Williams), Ambrose (Divide), Four Bears (McKenzie), Little Knife (Dunn), Parshall (Mountrail), Ellsworth (McKenzie), Willow Creek (Williams)
• Comments:

Wells coming off the confidential list were posted earlier; see sidebar at the right. 

Three (3) producing wells completed:

• 19863, 1,190, Emerald Oil, Mongoose 1-8-5H, 
• 23909, 1,461, Emerald Oil, Arsenal [Federal] 1 -17-20H,
• 24641, 680, Hess, HA-Nelson 152-9503328H-5, 

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Traded at new 52-week highs today: MDU, Comcast.

Tesoro Logistics LP restarts Mountrail County, North Dakota pipeline:

Co is restarting its Mountrail County, North Dakota pipeline following shutdown on Sept. 29 due to a crude oil spill. Permission to return the line to service was granted by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) following:

• Acceptance by TLLP of a Safety Order from PHMSA;
• Review by PHMSA and TLLP of the preliminary mechanical analysis of the failed segment;
• PHMSA approval of a detailed restart plan submitted by TLLP. 

The damaged portion of the pipeline was removed and sent to an independent laboratory for analysis. While final results are pending, the preliminary report indicates that the likely cause of the small diameter hole in the pipeline was from electrical discharge. The source of the electrical current remains under investigation. According to the initial lab report, there were no signs of corrosion or other defects at the failure location. As of Oct 31, more than 4,500 of the estimated 20,000 barrels released have been recovered from the site. There have been no injuries or known impacts to water or wildlife as a result of this incident.

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KMI Pipeline In The Northeast

July 17, 2015: Kinder Morgan, Inc., today announced that its board of directors authorized KMI’s subsidiary, Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company (TGP), to proceed with TGP's Northeast Energy Direct (NED) project's “market path” segment from Wright, New York, to Dracut, Massachusetts, a $3.3 billion investment designed to serve natural gas utilities and electricity generation customers in New England. 

According to the independent electric system operator ISO New England, New Englanders paid over $7 billion more for electricity during the winters of 2013/14 and 2014/15 than what they paid for electricity during the winter of 2011/12, largely as a result of the existing lack of pipeline capacity servicing the region. Independent studies have concluded that the New England region will require 2 Bcf/d of gas capacity over the coming years. 

Since first proposed in 2014, TGP has said that the NED project could involve a combination of 30-inch and 36-inch diameter mainline, and provide between 1.3-2.2 Bcf/d of incremental capacity for the region’s needs.

According to Watson, “Our decision to proceed with the 30-inch pipeline option stems from continual outreach and dialogue that began in 2014, including ongoing negotiations with customers, reviewing various state initiatives designed to address the high cost and volatility of natural gas into the New England region, and continuing discussions with stakeholders. As a result of our dialogue and feedback, we have made numerous adjustments to the proposed right-of-way in order to minimize potential impacts on nearby towns and communities, resulting in approximately 91% of the proposed NED market path segment being co-located along existing utility corridors, and we have also eliminated the need for two of nine proposed lateral lines and related facilities.

Since first proposed in 2014, TGP has said that the NED project could involve a combination of 30-inch and 36-inch diameter mainline, and provide between 1.3-2.2 Bcf/d of incremental capacity for the region’s needs. According to Watson, “Our decision to proceed with the 30-inch pipeline option stems from continual outreach and dialogue that began in 2014, including ongoing negotiations with customers, reviewing various state initiatives designed to address the high cost and volatility of natural gas into the New England region, and continuing discussions with stakeholders. As a result of our dialogue and feedback, we have made numerous adjustments to the proposed right-of-way in order to minimize potential impacts on nearby towns and communities, resulting in approximately 91% of the proposed NED market path segment being co-located along existing utility corridors, and we have also eliminated the need for two of nine proposed lateral lines and related facilities.

Original Post

Kinder Morgan Partners subsidiary, Tennessee Gas Pipeline, places projects in service to move more Marcellus Shale natural gas:

Tennessee Gas Pipeline, a subsidiary of Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, placed the fully subscribed Northeast Upgrade Project (NEUP) in service on schedule Nov. 1. The ~ $500 million project boosts capacity on TGP's 300 Line system in Pennsylvania and New Jersey by 636,000 dekatherms per day (dth/d) and provides additional takeaway capacity from the Marcellus shale area. TGP also placed into service its a~ $65 million Marcellus Pooling Point project as scheduled on Nov. 1. The fully subscribed project provides about 240,000 dth/d of additional firm Marcellus transportation capacity on TGP's pipeline system in Pennsylvania.

Google the Tennessee Gas Pipeline to see how much of an environmental challenge it was to get this pipeline laid, especially in New Jersey. Incredible.

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Taking only thirteen days at a cost of $8,000, Surrealistic Pillow launched The Jefferson Airplane to international fame.

Surrealistic Pillow, The Jefferson Airplane