Dover, Delaware-based Chesapeake Utilities Corporation has acquired Florida-based Marlin CNG Services, a supplier of mobile compressed natural gas utility and pipeline solutions. Those solutions, which include a fleet of CNG tankers, mobile compressors and offload regulators, extend Chesapeake Utilities’ service offerings to new customers and provide the utility with applications to address most supply interruption scenarios. “With increased opportunities for mobile fuel and virtual pipeline solutions on the horizon, this acquisition aligns with our strategic plan as we expand our services through our service territories and beyond,” said Michael P. McMasters, then-CEO (now retired) of Chesapeake Utilities. “Acquiring Marlin CNG Services allows us to extend our services and utilize customized equipment to meet the needs of natural gas suppliers and customers.”
Pepco has been recognized internationally for its commitments and efforts to reduce environmental impacts through its business operations across Maryland and Washington, D.C. The company completed implementation of an environmental management system, leading to the International Organization for Standardization certification ISO 14001:2015. An EMS is a standard for promoting effective, systematic management of environmental risks and opportunities. “Our commitment to serving our customers and communities goes well beyond providing the safe and reliable energy service they count on,” said Dave Velazquez, president and CEO of Pepco Holdings. “We recognize that climate change is real, and every day we are working to advance our operational performance.”
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has authorized the Gateway Expansion Project, which will extend the Transco natural gas pipeline to consumers in New Jersey and New York. The project, which was designed to minimize the impact on the community and environment by using existing pipeline infrastructure, will create 65,000 dekatherms per day of transportation capacity to meet growing natural gas demand within the states. Williams, an energy infrastructure company, will build the expansion. “Energy infrastructure upgrades like our Gateway Expansion Project will help ensure customers continue to benefit from clean, reliable and affordable energy,” said Williams Chief Operating Officer Michael Dunn. Project construction is expected to begin in spring 2019, with a target completion date of Nov. 1, 2020.
With European demand for natural gas on the rise, the United States has an opportunity to meet that market’s needs in a big way. According to the International Energy Agency, natural gas now supplies about 24 percent of Europe’s energy needs, and according to JTC Energy Research Associates LLC, consumption in Europe is up nearly 20 percent over the past three years. Furthermore, it has been reported that European countries are looking to lower their reliance on Russian natural gas, which currently provides 40 percent of the continent’s natural gas needs. The United States has been significantly ramping up its liquefied natural gas export capacity, particularly through growing operations along the Gulf Coast, and that could help secure its position as Europe’s next big LNG supplier.
Each year, J.D. Power rates companies on a 1,000-point scale that takes into account several factors affecting utility companies and their customers—including safety. According to J.D. Power’s 2019 Utilities Industry Outlook, customer awareness of safety initiatives by utility companies is highly correlated with customer satisfaction. Among natural gas customers, in particular, perception of a utility’s level of helpfulness in preparing for a safety issue garnered a 121-point rise in customer satisfaction. Other factors that J.D. Power considered in its 2019 report include digital disruption, alternative energy influence and pricing.
New rules that went into effect in October allow more liquefied natural gas tankers to pass through the Panama Canal per day, which is expected to help boost LNG development along the U.S. Gulf Coast. Officials now allow two LNG tankers traveling in opposite directions to be in the Panama Canal’s central lake at the same time. This marks an expansion to the previous rule, which allowed just one LNG tanker to pass through per day during daylight hours. Jorge Barakat, minister of maritime affairs for the Panama Maritime Authority—which registers all ships traveling through the canal—said that since the change, as many as four to five LNG tankers have passed through in a single day. Several U.S. companies are expected to begin commercial shipments this year, and nearly a dozen other companies are seeking permits to build more export terminals, thus leading to more shipping activity through the waterway.
Summit Natural Gas of Missouri has opened a liquefied natural gas facility in Lebanon, Missouri, increasing the company’s capacity and helping to fuel the area’s ongoing economic growth. This new LNG facility is scalable for further expansion as the region’s communities continue to grow, and it will be used on peak demand days to provide increased capacity to the local natural gas system. “Our new LNG facility is a testament to the tremendous economic growth happening in the Lebanon area because of the hard work of the Lebanon City Council, state-elected leaders and the community in attracting new business to the city and supporting the existing industry,” Summit Utilities’ President and CEO Kurt Adams said at the ribbon-cutting. “We look forward to our continued partnership with city officials to support their work in growing the local economy and bringing greater energy reliability to the area.”
Mesquite, Nevada, is looking to add natural gas infrastructure, and Southwest Gas has taken the first steps to make it happen. According to Southwest Gas’ Manager of Energy Solutions James Stein, the company is trucking in compressed natural gas to serve several local businesses as part of the multiyear project’s first phase, or “virtual pipeline,” that will serve a 5-mile loop branching out from City Hall. “This is just the beginning of a monumental step forward for us as a community,” said Mesquite Mayor Allan Litman. “Having natural gas as another energy option in Mesquite is important to our residents and businesses.” Eventually, more than 40 miles of pipeline and infrastructure will need to be built to connect Mesquite to a transmission pipeline approximately 14 miles north of Interstate 15.
Southern California Gas Company and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power recently teamed up to send their customers packages containing devices that can help save natural gas and water for years to come. Each package included a water-efficient showerhead, two bathroom faucet aerators, one kitchen faucet aerator and a device that alerts residents when their HVAC filter needs to be changed. Also included was information on devices that are eligible for rebates from SoCalGas, such as energy-saving water heaters. “Providing these energy-saving tools is one of the most cost-effective ways SoCalGas can help our residential customers in L.A. reduce their natural gas and water use,” said Dan Rendler, director of customer programs and assistance at SoCalGas. “SoCalGas encourages residents to install these devices to save energy, water and money, and benefit the environment as well.”