Natural Gas News – December 20, 2018

Poland’s Goal of Ditching Russian Natural Gas Bolsters American LNG and Trump’s Energy Agenda

CNBC reported: Poland took another step towards weening itself off Russian energy supplies on Wednesday by signing a 20-year agreement with San Diegobased Sempra Energy to import U.S. liquefied natural gas. The signing marks the third long-term contract the state-controlled Polish Oil and Gas Company, or PGNiG, has inked with an American LNG company this year. In the coming years, Warsaw plans to replace Russian gas with pipeline supplies from Norway and shipments of LNG, or gas super-chilled to liquid from for transport by sea. That is opening an opportunity for the U.S. energy industry, which is on the cusp of a opening a second wave of LNG export terminals. The Trump administration, eager to dominate the global energy market, has been pitching the supplies in trade talks from Beijing to Warsaw. For more on this story visit cnbc.com or click https://cnb.cx/2QJoIbg

Connecticut Regulators Clear Natural Gas Companies of Wrongdoing

New Haven Register reported: Connecticut utility regulators have absolved the state’s three natural gas utilities of any wrongdoing after an environmental group claimed last year the companies manipulated space on transmission lines, driving up the price of the fuel as well as the cost of electricity in New England. Investigators with Connecticut’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority found no evidence the companies “failed to manage their gas supply portfolios on the peak demand days for these winter periods using prudent strategies.” The PURA ruling comes 14 months after officials with the regulatory agency announced they were launching an investigation into claims made in an Environmental Defense Fund report ,in October 2017. The report’s findings alleged that Southern Connecticut Natural Gas, Connecticut Natural Gas and Yankee Gas engaged in scheduling practices. For more on this story visit nhregister.com or click https://bit.ly/2ShIl76