Mark Iden

A new constellation of highly sophisticated satellites gives developed countries the ability to detect, with pinpoint precision, where the super emitters of methane gas are around the globe, from pipelines in Russia, to giants gas fields in Turkmenistan to North America's oil fields.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) announced over the weekend that new rules have been proposed that will have far-reaching implications for the operation and safety dividend of the US pipeline network.

A suspected lightning strike during severe storms occurring this past Friday caused a fire at TC Energy's Corinth natural gas compressor station in Mississippi, prompting the company to declare Force Majeure on its 5419-km Columbia Gulf pipeline.

"No one was injured in the incident, and the fire has now been extinguished," TC Energy said in a press release.

Xcel Energy, Minneapolis based operator of nearly 58,000-km of natural gas pipelines in the United States and providing  a comprehensive portfolio of energy-related products and services to 3.7 million electricity customers and 2.1 million natural gas customers, is looking to inject and blend hydrogen into its 36,000-mile distribution pipeline and 2,000 miles of transmission pipeline.

On the lookout to enhance its market offering in China, Russia is considering supplying natural gas to China by a pipeline from companies other than Kremlin-controlled Gazprom, which currently has the monopoly for Russian pipeline gas exports, an Energy Ministry official said on Tuesday.

Chad's nationalization of the 1000-km oil pipeline between Chad and Cameroon has led to a full-blown legal and diplomatic crisis between the two neighboring African countries, coming on the heels of ExxonMobil's decision to divest from its hydrocarbon operations in December of last year.

Nearly one year ago, PG&E submitted its annual emissions data to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). Using 2015 emissions levels as a baseline value, the data demonstrated that PG&E had reached more than 24% emissions reductions by mid-year 2022, with an additional 5% forecast by the end of 2023.

Iraq was upbeat two weeks ago after an International Court of Arbitration called on Ankara to pay Baghdad $1.5 billion for unauthorized exports by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) between 2014 and 2018. Since the ruling Ankara has stopped the export of 450,000 bpd through the Ceyhan port and is seeking to negotiate the $1.5 billion award. Ankara and Baghdad seem to be at an impasse.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohanned Shia al - Sudani and Masrour Barzani, prime minister of Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region reached a final deal yesterday to resume oil exports from northern Iraq via the 970-km Kirkuk - Ceyhan oil pipeline.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) will announce a historic $196 million in grants for 37 projects spread across 19 of the United States of America.

This new grant program helps improve public safety, protect public health, and reduce methane emissions from natural gas distribution pipes.