Germany Offered to Build LNG Terminals to Avert US Pipeline Sanctions
Berlin offered to spend 1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) to build two liquid natural gas terminals in a bid to dissuade the United States from imposing sanctions over the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, due to bring gas directly from Russia to Germany, Die Zeit reported on Wednesday.The weekly paper said Finance Minister Olaf Scholz made the proposal in an Aug. 7 letter before Washington imposed sanctions on companies involved in building the Baltic Sea pipeline, effectively…
Are OSVs Fit for Refit for Offshore Wind?
While it is generally agreed that the nascent offshore wind energy market in the U.S. will be a newbuild market, there is a repair and conversion possibility for some stacked OSVs.Though estimates on the pace of the offshore wind energy market in the U.S. vary widely, the direction is clear: offshore wind will be a huge marketplace for construction and support vessels to be deployed in U.S. waters over the next decade. The starting point for estimated vessel demand is the raft of projects along the U.S.
Keystone Pipeline Still Closed, ND Leak Source Unclear
The precise source of a leak on TC Energy Corp's Keystone oil pipeline in North Dakota has not yet been identified, a spokesman for the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) said on Monday.There is no estimated timeline for restart of the pipeline and the company is continuing excavation work to isolate the affected part of the pipeline, the spokesman said by phone.Clean-up crews in Walsh County, North Dakota, have been working to plug the Keystone pipeline after a more-than 9…
Trafigura Started Crude Shipments via U.S. Pipeline Cactus II
Global commodities trader Trafigura has started shipments of Permian basin crude to the Corpus Christi oil hub in Texas via the newly operational Cactus II pipeline system, the company said in a statement on Monday.Trafigura signed a long-term agreement with pipeline operator Plains All American Pipeline LP last year to transport a total of 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude and condensate on the pipeline.The Cactus II Pipeline system will have the ability to transport 670,000 bpd. (Reporting By Julia Payne; editing by David Evans)
Kinder Morgan's $1.75 bln Gas Pipeline Hit with Steel Tariff
U.S. pipeline operator Kinder Morgan Inc will pay a tariff on imported steel used in a $1.75 billion natural gas pipeline project, the U.S. Department of Commerce ruled on Monday, dealing a setback to energy industry efforts to avoid the penalties.The tariff could add up to $80 million to the construction cost of Kinder Morgan's Gulf Coast Express Pipeline, analysts estimated, because about half the project employs some Turkish pipe subject to a 50 percent tariff.
U.S. Pipeline Operators Reap Hefty Profits from Bottlenecks in Texas
Some of the biggest pipeline operators in the United States have supercharged earnings this year by buying deeply discounted shale in West Texas oilfields and selling it at a premium at Gulf Coast ports.These companies are taking advantage of extraordinary markdowns in West Texas where surging production and a lack of pipeline space sent the regional price for oil in late August $23 per barrel below the coastal price in Houston.Record profits illustrate the divide between the haves - those with guaranteed pipeline space - and the have nots…
US Oil Boom Delivers Costly Surprise for Traders
The world's biggest oil traders are counting hefty losses after a surprise doubling in the price discount of U.S. light crude to benchmark Brent in just a month, as surging U.S production upends the market.Trading desks of oil major BP and merchants Vitol , Gunvor and Trafigura have recorded losses in the tens of millions of dollars each as a result of the "whipsaw" move when the spread reached more than $11.50 a barrel in June, insiders familiar with their performance told Reuters.The sources did not give precise figures for the losses…
US Oil Pipeline Companies, Producers Seek Relief from Steel Tariffs
Major U.S. energy companies including Plains All American Pipeline, Hess Corp and Kinder Morgan Inc are among many seeking exemptions from steel-import tariffs as the United States ratchets up trade tensions with exporters including China, Canada and Mexico.There have been nearly 21,000 requests overall for exclusions submitted to the U.S. Commerce Department since the Trump administration imposed levies this year. Of those, more than 500 petitions involve pipes and related materials.Initial decisions are expected this month…
Enbridge Starts Valley Crossing Natgas Pipe Work at Tex-Mex Border
Canadian energy company Enbridge Inc said it started construction of the offshore border crossing section of its $1.6 billion Valley Crossing natural gas pipeline between Texas and Mexico, according to a federal filing made available on Wednesday.The 168-mile (270-kilometer) Valley Crossing project is designed to carry up to 2.6 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) of gas from Texas to help Mexico meet its growing power needs as generators there shift away from fuel oil and imported liquefied natural gas.One billion cubic feet is enough to fuel about five million U.S.
Shell Offloads Stake in Amberjack Pipeline
Royal Dutch Shell will sell its stake in Amberjack Pipeline Co to its master limited partnership Shell Midstream Partners LP for $1.22 billion, the U.S. pipeline operator said on Thursday.Drop down deals - where a parent transfers assets to its master limited partnership (MLP) - are practiced widely by energy companies to boost the value of their midstream assets without losing ownership of critical infrastructure.The Amberjack pipeline, jointly run by Chevron Corp and Shell…
US Lifts Keystone Pipeline Pressure Restrictions
Pressure restrictions on TransCanada Corp's Keystone oil pipeline was lifted on May 1 in a letter issued by U.S. pipeline safety regulators, a spokesman for the agency told Reuters on Thursday.It was not immediately clear what current rates are, said Darius Kirkwood, a spokesman for U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).The company had shut down its 590,000 barrel-per-day Keystone pipeline, which links Alberta's oil sands to U.S.
Texas Flood: U.S. Oil Pours into Global Markets
United States taking share from OPEC nations in Asia, Europe, as China’s biggest U.S. crude buyer to double imports. In the two years since Washington lifted a 40-year ban on oil exports, tankers filled with U.S. crude have landed in more than 30 countries, ranging from massive economies like China and India to tiny Togo. The repeal has unleashed a flood of U.S. shale oil, undercutting global crude prices, eroding the clout of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and seizing market share from many of its member countries.
Oil Producers Want New Hearing on Impact of Magellan Proposal
Oil and gas producers WPX Energy and Chevron have asked a U.S. regulator for a new hearing on the broad industry impact of Magellan Midstream Partners' request to launch a marketing arm, signaling concerns about the effect it could have on shipping oil in the United States. The two firms late on Tuesday became the latest energy companies, including Plains All American's Plains Marketing LP and Energy Transfer Partners, to raise questions after Magellan requested another hearing on the marketing arm issue. On Nov. 22, the U.S.
US Oil Industry Set to Break Record, Upend Global Trade
Surging shale production is poised to push U.S. oil output to more than 10 million barrels per day - toppling a record set in 1970 and crossing a threshold few could have imagined even a decade ago. And this new record, expected within days, likely won't last long. The U.S. government forecasts that the nation's production will climb to 11 million barrels a day by late 2019, a level that would rival Russia, the world's top producer. The economic and political impacts of soaring U.S.
TransCanada to Restart Keystone Pipeline on Nov. 28
TransCanada Corp will restart its Keystone crude oil pipeline at reduced pressure on Tuesday after getting approval from U.S. regulators, the company said on Monday. Calgary-based TransCanada shut down the 590,000 barrel-per-day pipeline, one of Canada's main crude export routes, on Nov. 16 after 5,000 barrels of oil leaked in South Dakota. Keystone carries crude from Alberta's oil sands to U.S. refineries. The company said its repair and restart plans were reviewed by the U.S.
BP Midstream Partners Seekup to $893 mln in IPO
BP Midtsream Partners, a unit of British energy company BP Plc, said on Monday it expects to raise up to $893 million from its initial public offering. BP Midtsream expects to sell 42.5 million shares, excluding underwriters' option, at a suggested price range of $19 to $21 each, the company said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. BP Midstream Partners, a master limited partnership (MLP) formed by BP's U.S. pipeline unit, plans to list on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "BPMP".
Andeavor to buy Western Refining Logistics
U.S. pipeline operator Andeavor Logistics LP said on Monday it would buy rival Western Refining Logistics LP for $1.5 billion as it seeks to expand into the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico. Western Refining unitholders will receive 0.5233 Andeavor Logistics units for each Western Refining unit. The deal values each Western Refining unit at $25.28, representing a premium of 6.4 percent to Western Refining Logistics' Friday closing price. Andeavor, formerly known as Tesoro Corp, bought Western Refining Inc for $4.1 billion in June.
US LNG Exports to Increase: EIA
U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)'s latest Short-Term Energy Outlook projects that the United States will export more natural gas than it imports in 2017. The U.S. has been a net exporter for three of the past four months and is expected to continue to export more natural gas than it imports for the rest of 2017 and throughout 2018. The nation’ status as a net exporter is expected to continue past 2018 because of growing U.S. natural gas exports to Mexico, declining pipeline imports from Canada, and increasing exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG). The U.S.
Demand to Ship Gasoline on Top US Pipeline at 6-yr Low
The operator of the biggest U.S. fuel pipeline system said on Thursday demand to transport gasoline to the country's populous northeast is the weakest in six years, the latest symptom of a global oil market grappling with oversupply. Summer is typically when gasoline demand peaks in the world's biggest oil consuming country as motorists hit the road for vacation, and keeping their gas tanks full strains the capacity of U.S. refiners and pipelines. This year…
TransCanada Beats Street on U.S. Pipeline Performance
TransCanada Corp , Canada's No.2 pipeline operator, reported a better-than-expected profit on Friday, helped by strength in its U.S. natural gas pipelines and liquids pipelines units. Revenue from the company's U.S. natural gas pipelines unit more than doubled to C$879 million. The Calgary-based company's net income attributable to shareholders rose to C$881 million, or C$1.01 per share, in the second quarter ended June 30, compared with C$365 million, or 52 Canadian cents per share, a year earlier.
