Reactor Spills About 3,000 Gal. of Fluid into Hudson River
Entergy Corp said on Friday that about 3,000 gallons of dielectric fluid escaped from the transformer of the Indian Point 3 nuclear power reactor in New York and leaked into the Hudson River following a transformer failure on May 9. The company intends to conclude investigations of the cause of the transformer failure by the end of June. Entergy said on May 11 that the 1,031-megawatt unit reactor, located along the Hudson River about 45 miles (72 km) north of Manhattan…
US Oil Platform on Fire in Gulf Of Mexico
An oil platform caught fire and was evacuated in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico offshore Louisiana in the early hours of Friday, though no injuries were reported, the U.S. Coast Guard said. Fire-fighting crews worked to contain the fire on Friday near Breton Island, 50 miles (80 km) offshore New Orleans, the Coast Guard said. All 28 people were evacuated from the platform. It was unclear what caused the incident or how much oil leaked into the ocean…
Goldman Cuts Crude Outlook, Oil Major Forecasts
Goldman raises 2015 Brent forecast to $58 from $52; cuts 2020 Brent projection to $55 from $70. Goldman Sachs has cut its long-term crude oil price forecasts and recommended investors sell shares in two major oil companies, saying that improved U.S. shale efficiency and higher production from OPEC will more than cover future demand. The U.S. investment bank's equities team, in a note published on Saturday, raised its projection for the average Brent crude oil price this year to $58 a barrel from $52 and lifted its outlook for U.S.
Small Fire Out at Exelon's PA Nuclear Facility
Exelon Corp said on Sunday that a small electrical fire was extinguished in the reactor building at its 2,264-megawatt Limerick nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania. "The fire was contained in an electrical panel that overheated," the statement from the company said. There was no impact to power operations and both two units at the plant remained at full power. Reporting by Anupam Chatterjee
Tesoro Resumes Martinez, CA Turnaround
Tesoro Corp said it resumed work at its 166,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Martinez, California. The facility is currently idle and operating as a terminal for customer supplies. Tesoro had previously announced a plan to shut the plant while workers represented by the United Steelworkers were on strike. "They have resumed the Turnaround (TAR) work and are making plans for the safe restart of the facility," Tesoro said on its labor information website. Reporting by Anupam Chatterjee and Kevin Jose
Duke Energy Fined for Environmental Violations
Duke Energy Corp has agreed to pay a fine of about $102 million for environmental violations related to a power plant's coal ash spill into a North Carolina river last year and the company's management of coal ash basins in the state. Duke set aside $100 million in the fourth quarter in anticipation of the settlement, the company said in an earnings statement. The U.S. Department of Justice fined the company for five Clean Water Act violations…
FERC's Final EIS Favors Constitution Pipeline
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), on Friday, published its final environmental review of the proposed 124-mile natural gas Pipeline of Constitution Pipeline Company, LLC. The project, targeted to be complete by late 2015 or 2016, involves the construction and operation of 124 miles of 30-inch-diameter natural gas pipelines from northeast Pennsylvania. The project is designed to connect New England natural gas markets via an interconnect with the existing Tennessee Pipeline…
Vitol Purchases Shell's Australian Downstream
Vitol SA has completed the acquisition of Royal Dutch Shell PLC's Australian downstream businesses, a statement from Vitol said on Wednesday. The acquisition led to the launch of Viva Energy Australia, which comprises of Shell's Geelong Refinery and 870 service stations, its bulk fuels, bitumen and chemicals businesses and part of its lubricants businesses in Australia plus a brand licence arrangement and a distributor arrangement for Shell Lubricants.
Phillips 66 Reports FCCU Shutdown at TX Refinery
Phillips 66 reported its unit 29 fluid catalytic cracking unit (FCCU) was shut down to repair process piping at the Borger, Texas, refinery. The work began on Sunday and it expected to end on Aug. 25. The No. 40 FCCU at the refinery will undergo maintenance from Aug. 10 to Aug. 27, 2014 Refinery capacity: 146,000 barrels per day Source: Texas Commission on Environmental Quality filing Reporting by Anupam Chatterjee
Williams Gauges Shippers' Interest in Mississippi Natgas Storage
Williams Cos Inc's Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Co (Transco) unit on Tuesday announced an open season to gauge interest in natural gas firm storage capacity at its Eminence Storage Field in Covington County, Mississippi. The open season, which runs from June 3 to July 16, is for storage service for up to 8.7 billion cubic feet per day of withdrawal and 7.3 billion cubic feet per day of injection as 7 well as a storage capacity of 73.1 billion cubic feet. The capacity will become available on Aug. 1, 2014.
Duke Energy To Clean Up Ash In Dan River
Duke Energy Corp has agreed to find and remove coal ash that a retired North Carolina power plant spilled into the Dan River, which provides drinking water to two towns in nearby Virginia, U.S. environmental regulators said on Thursday. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will oversee the cleanup, and Duke will reimburse EPA for current and future costs, a statement issued by the EPA said. On Feb. 2, a 48-inch (122-cm) stormwater…
