NWE Propane’s Discount to Naphtha Smallest in 7 Months
Friday, September 7, 2018
(September 7, 2018) — Large propane cargos have narrowed to their smallest discount against cif (cost, insurance, freight) Northwest Europe (NWE) naphtha cargos since late January, driven by strengthening propane prices and a relatively flat naphtha market, S&P Global Platts reports. On Aug. 20, large cif NWE propane cargos were assessed at $556 a metric tonne, while cif NWE naphtha cargos were at $622.50 a tonne, placing the spread between the two at minus $66.50 a tonne, the smallest gap since Jan. 19 this year.
Autogas Hybrid Technology Showcased at Sustainable Fleet Conference
Thursday, September 6, 2018
Alliance AutoGas (AAG) showcased leading edge autogas hybrid technology at the 2018 Sustainable Fleet Technology Conference & Expo Aug. 22-23 at the Durham, N.C. Convention Center. AAG engineers have designed an autogas electric hybrid to be introduced to the market with the 2017 Ford Fusion. The 2.0-liter, fourcylinder vehicle will provide additional torque, reduced emissions, and better fuel economy due to the innovative hybrid system.
With Cyberattacks Inevitable, Energy Sector Eyes Response
Thursday, September 6, 2018
Cyberattacks on U.S. energy systems have become unavoidable, and enough have been successful that the sector and its regulators are increasingly focused on mitigation, response, and recovery, reports S&P Global Platts. Within the past six months, news has surfaced that hackers breached an industrial control system at a U.S. power plant, infiltrated a third-party data system used for scheduling gas flows on pipelines, and broke into email accounts at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Green Truck Summit 2019 Joins With Fleet Tech Congress
Thursday, August 30, 2018
NTEA, the Association for the Work Truck Industry, is expanding available educational opportunities during the Work Truck Show 2019 by offering a new option for those attending the Green Truck Summit and Fleet Technical Congress sessions. The events will be held concurrently at the JW Marriott Indianapolis March 5.

The Work Truck Show runs March 5-8 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, with education sessions on March 5, and the exhibit hall open March 6-8.
Trade: Chinese Importers Taking Spot Cargos from Middle East
Wednesday, August 29, 2018
S&P Global Platts writes that Chinese importers are snapping up spot LPG cargos offered by Middle East producers and have refrained from taking U.S. tonnes as China prepares to impose a 25% tariff on U.S. propane and butane imports in an escalating trade war between the two nations.
BP to Take a New Stand in the U.S.
Wednesday, August 29, 2018
The oil giant, British Petroleum (BP), is set to spend $10.5 billion (U.S.) for thousands of acres of land containing 4.6 billion barrels of oil and gas in the United States. It will mop-up BHP Billiton’s shale operations in Texas and Louisiana in the largest deal in 20 years, in hopes it will be transformational for the business.
Japan Steps Up U.S. LPG Purchases; Fallout from Sino-U.S. Trade Conflict
Monday, August 27, 2018
Reuters reports that Japanese utilities and industrial companies are snapping up U.S. cargos of LPG that are seeking a new home after Chinese buyers started to shun them amid an escalating trade war between Washington and Beijing. Taking in fuel that would otherwise be heading for China means Japanese imports of U.S. LPG are set to stay strong after already hitting record levels earlier this year.
Maxed-Out Export Infrastructure To Strand U.S. LPG This Winter
Monday, August 27, 2018
(August 27, 2018) — The growth of U.S. LPG exports will outpace terminal capacity this winter, constraining shipments, according to ESAI Energy’s webinar U.S. Growing Pains to Upend LPG Trade & Demand, and as reported by Oil-Voice. The export constraint will temporarily cause scarcity in Asia and in the international market, driving up LPG prices relative to naphtha and causing feedstock switching in the petrochemical sector. Meanwhile, stranded LPG in the U.S.
ArcLight Acquires Midstream Assets Of Enbridge’s Midcoast Operating LP
Monday, August 27, 2018
Boston-based ArcLight Capital Partners has acquired Midcoast Operating LP from Enbridge Inc. (Calgary) for about $1.1 billion in cash. Midcoast owns and operates three natural gas gathering and processing systems in Texas and Oklahoma; a long-haul NGL transmission system delivering from multiple supply areas, including the Denver-Julesburg and Permian basins to Mont Belvieu; and a marketing and logistics business.
China Hits U.S. Oil Products, LPG with Tariffs, But Backs-Off Oil
Thursday, August 23, 2018
(August 23, 2018) — China rolled out retaliatory tariffs on an additional $16 billion worth of U.S. imports in early August, including oil products, LPG, and coal in a new list of affected goods, but left off widely expected duties on U.S. crude, writes S&P Global Platts. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce’s latest list imposes 25% tariffs on a swath of energy commodities from Aug. 23, including asphalt shale, oil shale, and tar sand.
DataOnline Acquires Independent Technologies/WESROC
Monday, August 20, 2018
(August 20, 2018) — In early August, DataOnline (New Providence, N.J.), a global provider of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) solutions, completed its acquisition of Independent Technologies. Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed. Independent Technologies, a diversified provider of hardware, software, and services to the telecommunications, oil and gas, and power industries, was founded in 1985.
Transparency, Outreach Highlight Successful Marketing Activities
Friday, August 17, 2018
(August 17, 2018) — One marketing theme that has proven successful for propane marketers is transparency, especially when it comes to price and service, says Ryan Scaife of Senergy Marketing Group.
Marketing Blossman 1 082018

“The more transparent a propane company is, the better it will do,” Scaife says. “How straightforward is your pricing structure? How accessible are you on social media? How do you communicate to customers?”
Williams Transactions Pave Way for Entry into Denver-Julesburg Basin
Thursday, August 16, 2018
Two midstream transactions by Williams Partners LP (Tulsa) will result in the company’s entry into Colorado’s Denver-Julesburg (DJ) Basin and the exit of operations from the Four Corners Area in New Mexico and Colorado. Williams and the global investment firm KKR & Co. (New York, N.Y.) have entered into an agreement to purchase Discovery DJ Services from TPG Growth, the middle-market and growth equity platform of the alternative asset firm TPG (San Francisco), for $1.173 billion.
GTI Test Seeks to Promote Efficiency, Cut Costs, and Protect Environment
Thursday, August 16, 2018
The Gas Technology Institute (GTI) is leading a program at hydraulic fracturing test sites in the Permian Basin, bringing together government and industry to improve recovery, continue enhancing environmentally responsible methods of optimizing production, and lowering costs in the Midland and Delaware basins.
China, India, Africa Energy Use Expected to Lead Consumption
Thursday, August 16, 2018
(August 16, 2018) — The Energy Information Administration (EIA) writes that China, India, and Africa, three of the world’s most populated areas, collectively consume about onethird of all global energy. And their energy consumption is projected to grow faster than the rest of the world through 2040. As a result, changes in the Chinese, Indian, and African economies have significant implications for global energy markets.
Propane People "In The News"
Wednesday, August 15, 2018
(August 15, 2018) — The Virginia Propane Gas Association recently elected its officers for the 2018-2019 term. Kevin Lloyd of Augusta Petroleum Cooperative will serve as president; Taft Yeatts, Davenport Energy, president-elect; Nicole Sullivan, Anderson Propane, treasurer; and Colin Wood-Bradley, Tarantin Propane, secretary. Elizabeth McCormick of Phillips Energy is past president.
U.S. Propane Exports Run At Record Summer High
Wednesday, August 15, 2018
(August 13, 2018) — The National Propane Gas Association (NPGA), citing IHS Markit Waterborne, reports that as Middle East propane exports to Asia fell drastically in June, Asian buyers turned to the U.S. to meet their chemical-demand needs, leading to U.S. exports hitting record highs for the summer months and to a large revision of IHS Markit’s winter inventory outlook.
Representatives Introduce Bill To Address Backlog at FERC
Monday, August 13, 2018
As American natural gas production increases and demand for energy spikes around the world, the process at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to review the applications for construction of energy export terminals has been stymied by a shortage of highly specialized engineers, assert two members of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Energy Industry Critics Push Drilling Ban on November Ballot
Monday, August 13, 2018
Bloomberg reports that 2018 has been a banner year for Colorado’s shale drillers, but pumping oil and natural gas may be largely prohibited in the state if a November ballot initiative supported by industry critics is approved. Spurred by a fatal gas explosion last year, the initiative endangers output from one of the country’s most prolific plays. Meanwhile, the electoral contest for governor features an insurgent Democrat, U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, who has made his name in Colorado politics by bankrolling anti-hydraulic fracturing campaigns.
Permian Natural Gas Prices Fall as Production Grows
Monday, August 13, 2018
The natural gas spot price spread between the Permian Basin, as priced by the Waha Hub in western Texas and the U.S. national benchmark Henry Hub in Louisiana, has grown considerably in the past year, writes the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Natural gas prices at Waha are nearly a dollar per MMBtu lower than Henry Hub prices. This spread widened as the ability to transport the increased natural gas production in the Permian Basin in western Texas and southeastern New Mexico was constrained by existing pipeline capacity.
Report Says Michigan Does Not Need Line 5 for Propane Delivery
Friday, August 10, 2018
According to a report released by the National Wildlife Federation in late July and prepared by London Economics International LLC (LEI), Michigan’s Upper Peninsula does not need to use Enbridge Inc.’s (Calgary) Line 5 for its propane supply. The Upper Peninsula relies on Line 5 for significant volumes, but the report maintains Michigan can source propane exclusively by truck or rail for an estimated additional 5 cents/gal.
IEA Welcomes Increased Output From Saudi Arabia and Russia
Wednesday, August 8, 2018
The Paris-based International Energy Agency’s (IEA) latest oil market report lauds OPEC oil ministers’ and non-OPEC producers’ commitment to increase crude oil production. Noted is that while volume and timing remains to be seen, there are already indications that leading producers, particularly Saudi Arabia, its Gulf allies, and Russia, are ramping up output and production may reach record levels.