-Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf is set to propose new Marcellus Shale gas drilling rules that will cover waste storage, noise control and possible impacts on public water resources, schools and playgrounds, the Associated Press reports. The governor is also seeking support from state legislators for higher taxes on natural gas production to fund public schools. Among the new rules is a requirement that impoundments comply with standards that are applied to landfills, including thicker liners and different siting restrictions.
-FirstEnergy shut down its Perry Nuclear Power Plant in Perry, Ohio, today for scheduled refueling and maintenance and a transformer replacement. FirstEnergy said 280 of the plant’s 748 fuel assemblies will be replaced and more than 130 valves will be tested. The work will also include the replacement of several control rod blades and inspecting and cleaning cooling tower piping.
-NextDecade signed an agreement with the Port of Brownsville, Texas, to double the size of its proposed Rio Grande LNG export terminal site to 1,000 acres. The site is located on the northern shore of the Brownsville Ship Channel. NextDecade said it is preparing to start front-end engineering and design for the project. The firm is also considering building a $6 billion LNG export terminal on Pelican Island near Galveston, Texas.
-Meanwhile, over 1,000 non-union contractors walked off the job site at Cheniere Energy’s Sabine Pass LNG export terminal in Cameron Parish, La., Friday. Via KPLC in Lake Charles, a site foreman said $5-per-hour pay raises given to welders spurred the work stoppage. Other workers, including pipe fitters, electricians and ironworkers, did not receive raises. The workers who walked out are employees of Bechtel.
-BP announced a second major gas discovery in Egypt’s East Mediterranean Sea. The company said the deepwater Atoll-1 well has penetrated approximately 164 feet of gas pay. BP announced its nearby Salamat discovery in 2013. Last week BP signed a deal to develop 5 trillion cubic feet of gas and 55 million barrels of condensates in Egypt’s West Nile Delta gas fields.
