In its Annual Energy Outlook, British oil and gas corporation BP laid out its vision for Earth’s energy future through 2040. The company forecasts that the world’s energy demand will grow by a third in that time, due mostly to rising consumption in China, India and other Asian countries. The report notes that to meet that demand, new energy will need to be generated, and of that new energy, as much as 85 percent could come from natural gas and renewable sources. The company projects that natural gas consumption alone will grow by 50 percent over the next 20 years, and that shipments of liquefied natural gas will continue to increase during that period, ultimately accounting for 15 percent of global gas trade.
Through its Glaucus-1 well-drilling program off the coast of Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea, ExxonMobil has made one of the largest natural gas discoveries in the past two years. Preliminary interpretation of the well data indicates that the discovery could represent a natural gas resource of 5 trillion to 8 trillion cubic feet, although further analysis in the coming months will better determine its size. The region, known as Block 10, is 635,554 acres located south of Cyprus, and since 2017, the rights to explore the area have been shared by ExxonMobil and state-owned Qatar Petroleum. The Glaucus-1 well drilled to 13,780 feet of earth below 6,769 feet of water in search of the natural gas resource.
The California Association of Realtors has reported that it opposes legislation in the state that calls for the electrification of existing residential housing, taking the position that homeowners should not be forced to spend thousands of dollars to covert their homes from natural gas to electric. The point that converting from natural gas to electricity would cost thousands of dollars is backed up by Consumer Affairs, which notes on its website that converting to electricity could cost a homeowner at least $350 per electric line installation and gas line cap. CAR’s stance remains consistent with the organization’s opposition to proposals that would adversely affect real estate transactions.
Republic Services Inc. has completed an agreement with Clean Energy to use its Redeem™ renewable natural gas in more of its vehicles. The increase in usage will occur over the next five years, utilizing Redeem RNG fuel across 21 states—which is the widest geographic usage of the fuel in North America, according to the companies. The agreement is projected to reduce Republic Services’ fleet emissions by approximately 250,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. In Republic Services’ commitment to sustainability and a circular economy, the company actually supplies some of the gas from its landfills to Clean Energy to help produce Redeem RNG. “We commend Republic Services for its long-term use of natural gas to support sustainability objectives and furthering the growth of RNG as a vehicle fuel with the expanded use of Redeem,” said Chad Lindholm, vice president of Clean Energy.
Among its efforts to implement improvements to its natural gas transmission pipeline system, Pacific Gas and Electric Company has submitted its final Pipeline Safety Enhancement Plan to California regulators. This is the next step in a plan that PG&E originally proposed to the California Public Utilities Commission in August 2011. Since then, PG&E has completed 585 projects, including installing 217 automated valves, strength-testing 673.5 miles of pipeline, replacing 114.9 miles of transmission pipe and upgrading 202.4 miles of pipeline to accommodate in-line inspecting technology, as well as improvements to the utility’s records processes and systems. “The final report outlines a number of important milestones in our commitment to gas safety, reliability, affordability and environmental stewardship,” said Jesus Soto, PG&E’s senior vice president of gas operations. “We are continuously looking to identify new ways to make our extensive natural gas system the safest in the nation.”
According to a March Federal Energy Regulatory Commission order, Cheniere Energy has received approval from FERC officials to move forward with commercial service at the company’s first production unit at the Corpus Christi, Texas, liquefied natural gas facility. The Cheniere production unit, known as Train 1, will liquefy natural gas that will be exported internationally. As part of the startup and testing process, or commissioning, Cheniere successfully exported two LNG cargoes from Train 1 to Greece and the United Kingdom last December. FERC has also authorized the company’s second production unit, Train 2, to begin the startup process, including the introduction of feed gas. Construction on the third unit, Train 3, is ongoing.
In Australia, five liquefied natural gas projects are preparing for startup between 2021 and 2022, potentially pushing gas consumers in New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria into direct competition with Asian consumers for gas from northern Australia. Together, those Australian states represent a yearly LNG market of about 7.8 million tons, worth approximately $3 billion, which is about 2 percent of global LNG trade. This means that imports into the above-mentioned states could be viable, as piping LNG from Queensland to southern markets is reportedly expensive. Import proponents say the new Australian terminals also would be a key outlet for LNG spot cargoes, especially during periods of low demand in the Northern Hemisphere.
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission officials have approved a proposed pipeline from Oklahoma to destinations along the Gulf Coast, including $680 million in construction financing. Cheniere Energy and EIG Global Energy Partners will jointly move forward with their plans to build the 200-mile, 36-inch-diameter Midship Pipeline. The pipeline is expected to be in service by the end of 2019 and will be designed to deliver 1.4 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day from Oklahoma’s SCOOP and STACK shale resources to a delivery point just north of the Red River. It will connect to Kinder Morgan’s Midcontinent Express Pipeline and Boardwalk Pipeline Partners’ Gulf Crossing Pipeline, enabling the flow of natural gas to the TexOk Hub near Atlanta, Texas, and the Perryville Hub near Tallulah, Louisiana.
Southern California Gas Company’s mobile app is helping users log in more easily. The SoCalGas app gives users the choice to log in using facial recognition as an alternative to the traditional password option. The app, which is accessible from Apple and Android devices and available in the App Store and Google Play, respectively, allows SoCalGas customers to access their accounts to pay bills, view mapped locations of nearby compressed natural gas stations and set up service appointments, among other features.