-Enterprise Products Partners is investigating the cause of a Monday explosion and fire at its Appalachia-to-Texas (ATEX) Express pipeline in Brooke County, W.Va. Via the Associated Press, the blast sent flames hundreds of feet into the air but no injuries or major structural damage were reported. The pipeline collects ethane from four natural gas processing plants. A source told Platts the explosion could affect NGL production at two de-ethanizer plants in West Virginia owned by MarkWest Energy Partners and Blue Racer Midstream.
-Meanwhile, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Tuesday made several safety recommendations aimed at reducing natural gas pipeline incidents in densely populated areas. Via the Associated Press, safety standards for the physical integrity of pipelines were adopted in 2004, but incidents in “high-consequence” areas have leveled off instead of declining. Such incidents are relatively infrequent, but they are more likely to occur in highly populated areas, NTSB said.
-Kinder Morgan today said it is drawing interest from refiners in its proposed Freedom Pipeline, which would transport oil from West Texas to southern California. Via Reuters, the head of Kinder Morgan’s natural gas unit said the company “may have a shot” at moving forward with the project, which was originally proposed in 2012 but scrapped the following year due to a lack of interest from shippers.
-The United Steelworkers on Tuesday rejected the latest proposed refinery workers contract from oil companies, Reuters reports. The union is seeking annual pay raises double what was in the previous contract, along with a new workplace fatigue policy, reductions in out-of-pocket health care payments and to be given work that goes to non-union contractors. The union said refinery workers could go on strike if they can’t reach a favorable agreement. Shell is the lead negotiator for the refinery owners.
-Chevron today announced it will work with BP and ConocoPhillips to explore and appraise 24 jointly-held offshore leases in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. The deal includes the Tiber and Gila discoveries and the Gibson prospect in Keathley Canyon. Chevron will be the operator.
