Nat Gas News – September 19, 2018

Senators: Natural Gas Pressure was 12 Times Normal Level Before Massachusetts Explosions

USA Today reported: The pressure in the natural gas pipelines under three Massachusetts communities spiked to 12 times their normal level last week, just before the explosions and fires that destroyed dozens of homes and killed an 18-year-old man, according to Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren. The Massachusetts Democrats were briefed on the explosions in and around Lawrence by the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating. Markey and Warren are demanding answers from Columbia Gas and its parent company about the utility’s response to the pressure readings. The NTSB says a Columbia Gas control room in Columbus, Ohio, registered pressures of 6 pounds per square inch last Thursday in pipelines that are intended to carry just 0.5 PSI, the senators wrote in a letter to Columbia Gas President Stephen Bryant. For more on this story visit usatoday.com or click https://usat.ly/2Ded4yO

IEA Says Near-Term Natural Gas Export Growth to be Fueled by US, Australia and Russia

S&P Global reported: The International Energy Agency expects the US to account for 75% of the global growth in natural gas exports over the next five years, a bullish outlook for LNG developers facing challenges at home getting projects off the ground and abroad with tariffs affecting trade flows. During a presentation at Gastech in Spain on Wednesday, IEA senior natural gas analyst Jean-Baptiste Dubreuil said other countries contributing to the exports growth during that period will be Australia and Russia. Australia is a major LNG exporter, while Russia supplies significant amounts of pipeline gas to Europe. Besides its growing LNG exports efforts, the US is also a major exporter of pipeline gas to Mexico, which is heavily reliant on the supplies for power generation. For more on this story visit spglobal.com or click https://bit.ly/2ODekwm