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I’ll Be Around - CITGO Refineries to Be Bought by Amber Energy Seen as Survivors in Competitive Market
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It now seems likely that Elliott Investment Management’s Amber Energy will acquire CITGO Petroleum for $7.3 billion in mid-2025, thereby ending a yearslong legal drama about the fate of CITGO’s three large U.S. refineries and related pipelines and terminal assets. So what exactly is Amber buying and how will the refineries in question fare in the i…
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Ready to Let Go - New Gulf Coast Gas Storage Coming Online, With Still More Capacity Being Planned
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As a group, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama have more than 1.1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas storage capacity, most of it along — or within easy reach of — the Gulf Coast, with its long-and-growing list of LNG export terminals as well as gas-consuming industries and gas-fired power plants. That’s a good thing, but still more gas stor…
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Gimme Shelter - Wind, Flooding, Outages Add to Risks for Onshore Assets in Hurricane Season
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Storms that form in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) during hurricane season don’t just dissipate once they make landfall and can inflict havoc on onshore assets. Storm damage and flooding can delay plant restarts, but so can power outages, as we saw when Hurricane Beryl hit the Texas/Louisiana region in July. And while there were no major refining or prod…
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Bustin’ Out - EPIC Crude Pipeline Running at Capacity, Spurring Talk About a Possible Expansion
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Hundreds of miles separate the Permian Basin from the U.S. Gulf Coast, but in the Shale Era traversing that span has become increasingly important to Permian producers. Billions of dollars have been invested to expand capacity to move Permian production — crude, natural gas or NGLs — to the Gulf Coast to take advantage of surging export markets. In…
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I Guess (They’d) Rather Be in Colorado - Midstream Consolidation in the DJ Basin
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The Denver-Julesburg Basin isn’t the Permian — no argument there. But like its much bigger brother in West Texas and southeastern New Mexico, the DJ Basin has been a hotbed of M&A in both the upstream and midstream sectors. Among DJ producers, Chevron, Civitas Resources and Occidental Petroleum (Oxy) are now the top dogs, with big hopes for the fut…
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Do The Evolution - Longhorn Pipeline’s Flexibility Has Made It a Critical Conduit for Permian Crude
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The great Texas philosopher Matthew McConaughey once said, “I don’t want to just revolve. I want to evolve.” Few pieces of crude oil infrastructure embody that spirit of adaptation quite like ONEOK’s Longhorn Pipeline. Starting out as a Houston-bound conduit for Permian crude, Longhorn later reversed its flow and started moving refined products, th…
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Bad Moon Rising - Diversified E&Ps Rebalancing Portfolios to Crude Oil as Natural Gas Revenues Sink
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The recent bankruptcy filing by Tupperware, once a staple of nearly every kitchen, is yet another reminder that long-term corporate success depends on managing through the ever-changing business environment. Many blogs have been written about the ultimate impact on oil and gas producers of the decades-long shift to lower-carbon energy sources, but …
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Shop ’Till You Drop - Is the Consolidation Trend Ending in British Columbia’s Montney Gas Formation?
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British Columbia’s portion of the immense unconventional Montney formation has been the epicenter of Western Canada’s rapidly rising natural gas production in recent years. It should come as no surprise then that it has also become fertile ground for numerous acquisitions of companies — or some portion of their assets — by more nimble and financial…
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I Guess (They’d) Rather Be in Colorado - Upstream and Midstream Consolidation in the DJ Basin
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Thanks largely to the Denver-Julesburg (DJ) Basin, Colorado ranks fourth among the 50 states in crude oil production, topped only by Texas, New Mexico and North Dakota — and, if it were a state, the offshore Gulf of Mexico (GOM). It’s also noteworthy that more than 80% of Colorado’s oil production comes from one county — Weld, the heart of the DJ a…
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Ready to Let Go - Gulf Coast Gas Storage Activity Picks Up, and More Projects Are In the Works
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Very little new natural gas storage capacity has been built along the Gulf Coast the past few years, but that’s changing. Driven by rising demand from power generators, LNG operators/offtakers, marketers and traders for storage with high deliverability rates — and by improving storage economics — new salt-cavern and depleted-reservoir capacity is n…
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Bad Moon Rising - U.S. Gas Producers Remain Financially Sound Despite Red Ink in First-Half 2024
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E&P investors have historically been a skittish lot, and for good reason. In the second half of the 2010s, the S&P E&P Index had as many sudden ups and downs as Coney Island’s famous Cyclone roller coaster, culminating in a near crash in early 2020 as equity prices bottomed out at one-tenth their peak. A fairly smooth annual return of nearly 7% ove…
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Summertime Sadness - Is the Rangebound Summer Gas Market Heading for a Breakout?
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The summer of 2024 proved somewhat melancholy for natural gas bulls, but also for bears, as front-month futures have consistently sported a $2 handle on the vast majority of trading days. What happened to the dire predictions of oversupply heard this past winter? And what about the bullish swing that took over the market in early June? Developments…
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Harness Your Hopes - How Much Will LCI Hydrogen Help and Will Its Production Be Cost-Effective?
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Two major pieces of early-2020s legislation — the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (2021) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA; 2022) — promise to provide billions of dollars in tax credits and other incentives for expanding the production of low-carbon-intensity (LCI) hydrogen. But the hype around clean hydrogen as a fuel of the future has lost some …
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Time to Shine - Importance of Colorado City Hub Grows as Crude Oil Flows to Houston Increase
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Colorado City, TX, has deep roots in the history of the American West, beginning as a ranger camp in 1877. As cattlemen flocked to the area, it quickly became a vital center for the cattle industry, earning the moniker “The Mother City of West Texas.” The arrival of the Texas & Pacific Railway in 1881 marked a turning point for the town. It was for…
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Just Can't Last - Unprecedented TETCO East Louisiana Premiums Not Likely to Stick Around
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Natural gas futures contracts can be highly liquid and trade at high volumes, with prices constantly moving as new information arrives. But some contracts are far less liquid, so when a swing occurs it tends to last — and attract attention. That’s been the case this year for some prices on Texas Eastern Pipeline (TETCO) in Louisiana. Starting in th…
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Coming Back to Life - Carbon-Free Power Needs Could Bring Palisades Nuclear Plant Back Online
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The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is preparing to oversee a restart of a shuttered nuclear power plant for the first time — the Palisades Nuclear Plant in Michigan. Other reactors have successfully restarted after stretches of inactivity but Palisades was in the process of being decommissioned and no longer has its operating license, so it fa…
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Ready to Let Go - Rising Interest in Gulf Coast Natural Gas Storage Spurs a Slew of Projects
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Fast-changing dynamics in Gulf Coast natural gas, electricity and LNG export markets are increasing the value of gas storage in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi — or, more specifically, the merit of quickly injecting and withdrawing gas to respond to market swings. As a result, interest in developing gas storage projects with high “deliverability" …
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Where You Gonna Go? - Navigating the Surplus in U.S. LPG and Ethane Production
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Since 2011, U.S. natural gas liquids (NGL) production has more than tripled, while domestic demand has grown only modestly. Consequently, the only way NGL markets could balance was a dramatic increase in exports. Today, over 70% of U.S. propane production is exported, with the majority going to overseas markets, while other NGLs see varying export …
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Harness Your Hopes - How Existing U.S. Hydrogen Infrastructure Forms a Base for Future Expansion
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The hype around low-carbon-intensity (LCI) hydrogen that captivated many energy transition fans over the past four years has lost some momentum of late as industry players recalibrate their investment plans in the face of spiraling costs. Still, the U.S. government is moving full speed ahead — the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (2021) and Inflation …
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Southern Cross - Natural Gas Flows Into and Out of the Agua Dulce Area and What They Reveal
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In just a few years’ time, the Agua Dulce Hub in South Texas has become an increasingly busy, complex and important crossroads for natural gas pipelines. Every day, more than 7.5 Bcf of gas flows through the hub’s inbound and outbound pipes, linking Permian and Eagle Ford supplies to gas demand centers along the Texas coast and in Mexico — LNG expo…
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I Asked For Water (She Brought Me Gasoline) - No Easy Answers to California Gasoline Price Spikes
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Californians love their cars. Be it a lemon-yellow Lamborghini whizzing around Los Angeles freeways or a Jeep cruising the Pacific Coast Highway, getting behind the wheel is not just about coming of age — it’s a life goal in the Golden State. California also typically has the costliest gasoline in the U.S. (except when Hawaii holds that title), exa…
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Bad Moon Rising - Weak Pricing Bleeds Gas Producers, Dims Results for Others in Overall Profitable Q2
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One of the most compelling Greek myths is the story of Sisyphus, a man condemned by the gods to eternally push a giant boulder to the top of a mountain, only to have it crash back down to the valley just short of his goal. His plight is not a bad metaphor for the long-term historical trend of U.S. E&Ps, which neared pinnacles of financial stability…
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Got Me Under Pressure - Chevron's Anchor Project Opens a New Frontier in Deepwater Production
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The Gulf of Mexico (GOM) has long been a hotspot for crude oil and natural gas production, but technological advancements have pushed the boundaries of what’s possible in deepwater operations, opening previously inaccessible reservoirs. Chevron is the first to deploy new equipment capable of handling the more extreme pressures found very deep below…
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Are You Ready for a Dogfight, Encore Edition - Gulf Coast Export Terminals Vie for NGL and Crude Oil Market Share
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Over the past decade, the only significant growth market for U.S. crude oil and NGLs has been exports, with over 90% departing from the Gulf Coast. Exports via Gulf of Mexico ports have surged from about 1 MMb/d in 2016 to over 6 MMb/d last year. Great news for PADD 3 export facilities, right? Well, it’s not that simple. The distribution of barrels…
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Islands In The Stream - New Deals Expand ONEOK's Footprint, Connectivity and Permian Breadth
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Through a pair of newly announced, multibillion-dollar acquisitions, ONEOK is following up on its game-changing purchase of Magellan Midstream Partners by gaining additional scale, significantly increasing its role in NGLs and adding a huge crude oil gathering system in the Permian. The new deals are designed in large part to help ONEOK “feed and f…
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Take A Chance On Me - Oil Explorers Plan for Production Growth in U.S. Gulf of Mexico
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Crude oil production in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico (GOM) is poised for a growth spurt through 2030 even as producers brace for a host of challenges, not least from forecasts that global oil demand will subside in the long term. But while the GOM’s supply accounts for a relatively small portion of total U.S. production, exploration and production compa…
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A Horse With (New) Name - Enterprise To Buy Piñon Midstream and Its Dark Horse Sour-Gas System
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Enterprise Products Partners, already a leading provider of “well-to-water” or “well-to-market” midstream services out of the Permian, recently announced a deal to acquire private-equity-backed Piñon Midstream for $950 million in cash. But this isn’t just another bolt-on. Over the past few years, Piñon has been building out its one-of-a-kind Dark H…
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This Train Don't Stop There Anymore - Canada's Short-Lived Rail Disruption and Its Energy-Trade Impacts
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For a few days last week, Canada experienced a nationwide shutdown of its rail transportation network — the backbone of its economy. Of the literally thousands of items railed across Canada to consumers and for export to the U.S. and overseas, we consider three important liquid energy commodities — crude oil, propane and butane — that are transport…
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Give More Power to the People - Virginia and Carolinas Utilities' Focus: Gas-Fired Plants and Solar
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Utilities in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina, all anticipating rapid growth in electricity demand through the 2030s, have ambitious plans for renewables but are acknowledging that solar and offshore wind will need to be backed up by a lot more natural gas-fired generation. Fortunately, the new Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) and planned …
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Riders On The Storm - Hurricane Season Brings Unpredictable Risks to Gulf of Mexico Oil Production
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Every year, the biggest wild card regarding Gulf of Mexico (GOM) crude oil production is the severity of the Atlantic hurricane season. A season generally free of major storms in offshore production areas will likely have only a minimal impact, but a summer and early fall with even just one or two powerful hurricanes along certain paths can cause o…
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If I Ever Lose My Faith In You - Texas Turns to Performance Credit Mechanism to Boost ERCOT Reliability
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In Texas, rising power demand, increasing dependence on variable-output renewables, and declining availability of dispatchable fossil-fired plants to back up wind and solar have left the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) power grid in a pickle. As part of its response, the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) adopted a tool called …
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Giving You the Best That I Got - A New Gas Gathering and Processing Network in the Midland
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The Permian needs more gas gathering and processing capacity pronto to support the expansion of crude-oil-focused drilling, and one of the Permian’s last privately held midstream companies is stepping up in a big way with the buildout of an entirely new — and very expandable — network in the Midland Basin. In today’s RBN blog, we discuss the impend…
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Give More Power to the People - Soaring Power Needs Drive Gas Demand in Virginia and Carolinas
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The Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) and planned expansions to it and the Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line (Transco) system are providing utilities, data centers and others in Virginia and the Carolinas with enhanced access to Marcellus/Utica-sourced natural gas — and man, will they need it! Plans for new generating capacity between Washington, DC and …
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My Guy - Guyana's Growing Crude Output Increasingly Finding Homes Among West Coast Refiners
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Guyana’s crude oil production is surging, a trend that is expected to continue through the rest of the decade, and with no domestic refining industry its exports are booming. Shipments of Guyana’s medium-density, sweet-ish crude to the U.S. have ramped up and are increasingly making their way to the West Coast, which relies on imports given its lac…
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The Great Compromise - Federal Bill Would Streamline Energy Project Permitting, Judicial Review
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The permitting process for energy projects can drag on for years, resulting in multiple state and federal hurdles, environmental studies and judicial reviews. This is true not only of traditional energy projects involving oil and gas but also renewables like wind and solar and long-distance transmission, which are seen as key elements of the energy…
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Shake It Off - Amid M&A Frenzy, Some E&Ps Pause to Sell Non-Core Assets As Others Seek 'Bolt-Ons'
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There’s been a frenzy of M&A activity in the Permian Basin the past couple of years, and in recent months many of the acquiring E&Ps have reviewed their expanded base of assets, determined which acreage, wells and future well sites are core to their business going forward, and initiated the process of divesting the rest. At the same time, others — …
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Enter Sandman - Atlas Energy Brings an Innovative Sand Solution to the Permian Basin
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A first-of-its-kind frac sand logistics solution set to debut in the Permian Basin later this year may help transform the way proppant is delivered to support hydraulic fracturing operations there. If it works as advertised, it will represent another advance in the streamlining of oil and gas production in the U.S.’s most prolific shale play. In to…
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Hello, Goodbye - New England Hopes New Life for Everett LNG Will Help Ease Reliability Concerns, Despite Mystic's Closure
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The 1,413-MW Mystic Generating Station, a longtime workhorse for New England, shut its doors for good May 31. Located in Charlestown, MA, on the north side of Boston, Mystic is adjacent to the Everett LNG terminal, which supplied 100% of Mystic’s natural gas for several decades. The power plant’s closure meant the Everett terminal might also be his…
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Coming Around Again - Permian Produced Water Posing Challenges and Offering Opportunities
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Crude-oil-focused wells in the Permian generate massive volumes of produced water, and E&Ps have made tremendous strides in dealing with it. Most important, a growing share of that water is being recycled for use in new well completions. But challenges remain. Deep disposal wells — a popular option for handling produced water — can spur seismic eve…
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A Whole New World - 'Certified' Natural Gas With Lower Methane Intensity Takes Center Stage
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Even as many countries and companies around the world continue to ramp up their use of wind and solar power and explore the potential for a variety of renewable, low-carbon and no-carbon fuels, there’s a growing acknowledgment that natural gas — imperfect as it may be from a climate perspective — will remain a significant part of the global energy …
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I Love a PIANO - Tight U.S. Octane Supplies Can Play a Role in Summer Gasoline Price Spikes
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Some U.S. refiners report lower-than-market gasoline profit margins in the summer, which are often attributed to summer volatility specifications. But that is not always the primary issue; rather, some refiners have trouble generating enough octane-barrels due to the strong demand during the summer months, which can help drive price spikes. In toda…
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Break My Stride - Guyana In Line To Become Major Crude Oil Supplier, But Obstacles Remain
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Guyana’s rise as a crude oil producer in recent years can only be described as meteoric. If forecasts from some of the most respected international agencies pan out, the South American country’s output may soon rival some of the world’s biggest offshore producers. But the developments there are not without some controversy: they’re the centerpiece …
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Are You Ready for a Dogfight - Gulf Coast Export Terminals Vie for NGL and Crude Oil Market Share
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Over the past decade, the only significant growth market for U.S. crude oil and NGLs has been exports, with over 90% departing from the Gulf Coast. Exports via Gulf of Mexico ports have surged from about 1 MMb/d in 2016 to over 6 MMb/d last year. Great news for PADD 3 export facilities, right? Well, it’s not that simple. The distribution of barrels…
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The Ties That Bind - Crane Emerges as Pivotal Hub in the Permian's Evolving Oil Connectivity
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Crane, TX, entered the 20th century with a population of only 51 people but a staggering 21,400 cattle and sheep, reflecting its ranching roots. Established as a railway station along the Kansas City, Mexico & Orient Railway (KCM&O) in 1911, Crane initially relied on ranching and the railroad industry. However, the discovery of oil in the Permian B…
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Big City Stripper - Diversified Energy Co. Plots Growth Through Culling, Harvesting Mature Gas Wells
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The term “exploration and production company” has been widely used for only four or five decades, but the activities it represents have a history that dates back to the first oil well drilled by Edwin Drake in Titusville, PA, in 1859. Ever since that world-changing event, discovering and developing new sources of oil and gas has remained the indust…
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Uranium Fever - Small Modular Reactors Could Be Part of Nuclear Revival, But Hurdles Remain
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There’s been a lot of discussion lately about the best way to meet the expected increases in U.S. power demand, driven in part by manufacturing growth and the rapid development of large-scale data centers. That has spurred a renewed interest among regulators, industry leaders and the general public in nuclear power. But while traditional reactors a…
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Smarter Than You - AI, Data Center Power Demand and the Implications for Natural Gas
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Data center power demand is soaring as AI — artificial intelligence — rapidly expands across all sorts of applications. That statement is certainly the top buzz factor in today’s energy markets. These facilities need 24x7, super-reliable power, and there’s only one power generation fuel that has any hope of keeping up with the demand surge: natural…
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Double (H) or Nothing - Could More NGL Pipeline Capacity Help Break the Bakken's Production-Growth Logjam?
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Crude-oil-focused production in the Bakken still hasn’t fully recovered from its pre-COVID high, partly because the western North Dakota shale play continues to face takeaway constraints, especially for natural gas and NGLs. A couple of NGL pipeline projects in the works will certainly help, but will they be enough to enable the Bakken’s increasing…
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You Crack Me Up - Refiners Increasingly Relying on Hydrocracking Capacity As Fuel Demand Shifts
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More than a decade ago, several U.S. refiners brought new hydrocracking capacity online, wagering that rising demand for middle distillates made such major investments necessary. They were good bets. Demand for jet fuel is expected to continue to grow, and while diesel demand is seen as relatively flat in the U.S. over the next few years, it will c…
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An Awful Thing to Waste – The Push to Consume More Natural Gas Close to Where It’s Produced
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There are two primary drivers for consuming more natural gas close to where it emerges from production wells. One is to eliminate routine gas flaring, which is wasteful and environmentally detrimental, and the other — especially true in takeaway-constrained plays like the Permian — is to add value to gas that otherwise would be sold downstream at s…
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