Midmonth to Midmonth: Expect the Unexpected
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Heading into the winter heating season, the market has produced some very unexpected pricing swings. As the Saudis decided to set in place a new pricing strategy, coupled with a downturn in the Chinese economy and a reduction in demand, the energy complex was put into turmoil. This resulted in price moves that had not been foreseen.
Lone Star to Construct 3rd Fractionator at Mont Belvieu
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners LP (ETP) and Regency Energy Partners LP said Nov. 5 that their joint venture, Lone Star NGL LLC, is constructing a third 100,000-bbld fractionation facility at Mont Belvieu. The fractionator is fully subscribed by multiple long-term contracts and is necessary to handle increasing NGL barrels delivered via Energy Transfer’s and Lone Star’s raw-make pipeline systems that gather NGLs from the Permian, Eagle Ford, and North Texas production areas.
Inhofe Praises EPW Report On Hydraulic Fracturing
Sunday, November 23, 2014
U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, is praising a committee Republican report he asserts dispels the falsehoods perpetuated by the Obama administration and environmental extremists about hydraulic fracturing. He adds that environmental activists insist that the well-stimulation technique has a devastating impact on the environment, but decades of studies and empirical evidence have debunked these claims.
U.S. Seen Achieving Energy Independence by 2025
Sunday, November 23, 2014
The U.S. will achieve energy independence by 2025, which will mark the first time since 1952 that the nation will export more energy than it imports, according to an outlook by Wood Mackenzie’s (Edinburgh, Scotland) Global Trends Service. The outlook underscores that higher production and lower demand are the forces driving U.S. energy independence.
More Up and Down for Spot Propane Markets
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Spot propane at the nation’s two major trading hubs Thursday shed the fractional gains seen Monday to shift into an up-and-down pattern for the week. Just prior to the Energy Information Administration (EIA) releasing its inventory report, delayed a day because of the Tuesday Veterans Day holiday, Mont Belvieu spots showed losses of 3.25 to 3.5 cents compared to early in the week, while Conway was down a more moderate 2.25 cents. The declines uncharacteristically accompanied winter weather moving into many regions.
PERC Offers Incentive on Generac EcoGen Generator
Sunday, November 23, 2014
The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) is offering a $2000 incentive to buyers of Generac’s (Waukesha, Wis.) new propane-powered 15-kw EcoGen standby generator. The generator is the latest product to be included in PERC’s Propane Heat & Power Incentive Program, which encourages construction professionals, homeowners, and businesses to adopt new propane-fueled products for residential and commercial uses.
COMMENTARY Postings Gain
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Reversing a weeks-long pattern, most principal postings were on the rise Thursday and climbed a half cent to as much as 4.5 cents compared to the Monday email Update. Exceptions included a single seller holding firm at Mont Belvieu, while in the West some Los Angeles postings gave up 1 to 2 cents.

Postings on the Dixie Pipeline at Apex, N.C. were up a half cent to 2.5 cents, shifting prices to a low of 98.29 cents and a high of 100.75 cents/gal. At Conway, Kan., postings jumped 2 to 3 cents, and postings were from 96.00 to 99.01 cents.
Blue Bird Employment Rises; Bus, Vehicle Demand Increases
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Blue Bird Corp. (Fort Valley, Ga.) reports that its school bus production and demand have substantially increased due to market share growth and greater industry demand over the last four years. As a leading bus manufacturer, the company has experienced growth in all vehicle segments and has expanded its alternative-fuel leadership position, led by the Propane Vision school bus. Blue Bird is the second-largest automotive manufacturer in Georgia and the largest manufacturing employer in central Georgia.
MFA Oil Expands Propane Operations Into Georgia
Sunday, November 2, 2014
MFA Oil Co., a farmer-owned cooperative based in Columbia, MO, acquired Georgia LP Gas Company, a family owned propane retailer based in Manchester, Ga. The purchase of Georgia LP Gas, which services customers in east central Georgia, is MFA Oil’s first propane operation in the state. The company supplies fuels, lubricants and propane to customers in Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Iowa, Colorado, Nebraska, North Carolina, Wyoming, Tennessee, Georgia and Virginia.
Energy Institute Kicks Off Keystone Lost Opportunity Tour
Monday, September 29, 2014
After six years, communities along the Keystone XL pipeline route are still waiting for the jobs, opportunities, and revenue that the pipeline will bring, comments the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. To help share their stories and build support for the pipeline, the Chamber’s Institute for 21st Century Energy was touring the pipeline route the week of Sept. 14.
Southland Transportation Adds 101 Propane Buses
Monday, September 29, 2014
Southland Transportation Ltd. (Calgary) has added 101 propane-fueled Blue Bird Vision buses to its existing autogas school bus fleet. Districts in Canada are specifying the environmentally friendly technology due to superior cold weather operation, reduced maintenance, and cleaner emissions. The new buses will transport students under the authority of the Calgary Board of Education and Medicine Hat School District No. 76.
Topping Off....
Monday, September 29, 2014
…CHS Inc. (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) has expanded its propane rail terminals in Rockville and Glenwood, Minn. in time for the crop-drying and heating season. Rockville will now be able to store 620,000 gal., load six trucks an hour, and unload 10 rail cars every four and a half hours. Glenwood will hold 1.35 MMgal. and can unload eight railcars every four and a half hours. There are two truck bays capable of loading six trucks an hour…
Solis Capital Invests in LEHR
Monday, September 29, 2014
Solis Capital Partners (Newport Beach, Calif.) a private equity firm, has made an investment in LEHR LLC, an award-winning provider of environmentally friendly propane-powered products and tools. Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Los Angeles, LEHR produces a line of propane-fueled marine outboard engines in a variety of low-horsepower configurations, in addition to lawn and garden tools.
U.S. Propane Inventories Rise 1.7 MMbbl
Monday, September 29, 2014
U.S. propane stocks increased by another 1.7 MMbbl the week ended Sept. 19, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA) in its Sept. 24 “This Week in Petroleum” report. The build for the most recent reporting period placed the nation’s propane supplies at 79.1 MMbbl, 13.7 MMbbl, or 20.9%, higher than a year ago. Gulf Coast inventories increased by 0.9 MMbbl, the Midwest by 0.6 MMbbl, and the Rocky Mountain/West Coast region and the East Coast by 0.1 MMbbl each, EIA said.
NWE Greets Autumn with Ample Supply
Monday, September 29, 2014
The oil giant BG Group (Reading, U.K.) has quietly begun looking for a buyer for part of its prized Tanzanian operation. The FTSE 100 exploration company’s investment in East Africa has been among its biggest successes. It bought majority stakes in three offshore drilling areas in 2010. They quickly produced a string of giant discoveries that have the potential to turn Tanzania and neighboring Mozambique, where more big reserves were found, into the world’s largest gas exporting region after Russia and Qatar.
Propane Exports Jump 14.7% in July
Monday, September 29, 2014
9-29Inventory 350Propane exports from the U.S. in July totaled 13,374,165 bbl, coming in 14.7%, or 1,710,205 bbl, higher than June’s 11,663,960 bbl, reports the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC). Meanwhile, propane imports also rose, climbing 8.6%, or 225,244 bbl, month over month to reach 2,850,675 bbl, according to the agency.
GTI International Acquires CDH To Expand, Strengthen Offerings
Monday, September 29, 2014
Gas Technology Institute (GTI; Des Plaines, Ill.) subsidiary GTI International has acquired CDH Corp. (Cazenovia, N.Y.), a professional services firm specializing in monitoring and evaluating energy technologies related to building efficiency, combined heat and power (CHP), fuel cell, and solar power performance. For more than 20 years, CDH Corp. has offered field testing, deployment, monitoring, analysis, and reporting for emerging technologies, with a focus on the distributed generation and CHP markets.
Mont Belvieu and Conway Spots Fall Again
Monday, September 29, 2014
Spot propane at Mont Belvieu and Conway, Kan. softened still further Thursday, building on the losses of the previous week to decline another 2.625 to 2.75 cents at Belvieu and an additional 1.875 cents at Conway. Strong back-to-back inventory builds of 1.4 MMbbl and 1.7 MMbbl, respectively, over the past two weeks appear to have temporarily eroded sentiment for stronger prices, note market watchers, who add that nonetheless out-month (cold-month) prices remain harder.
COMMENTARY Postings Slide
Monday, September 29, 2014
With the exception of a single seller on the Dixie Pipeline, all other principal postings declined Thursday compared to the Monday email Update, sliding a minimum of a half cent but as much as 3 cents. The moves down built on losses of a penny to 3 cents early in the week. Conversely, in the West the majority of Los Angeles postings added 2 cents between the two reporting periods.
Alliance AutoGas Receives Dodge, Ford EPA Certifications
Monday, September 29, 2014
Blossman Services Inc. (Ocean Springs, Miss.), managing member of Alliance AutoGas, has received new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certifications covering the 2013 and 2014 5.7-liter Dodge Charger, Challenger, Magnum, and Chrysler 300, in addition to the 2011 to 2013 Ford Transit Connect and the 2013 to 2015 Ford 6.8-liter V-10. All certifications are for the Prins VSI fuel system.
Shale Oil and Gas Resources Globally Abundant, Says EIA
Monday, September 29, 2014
Estimated shale oil and shale gas resources in the U.S. and in 137 shale formations in 41 other countries represent 10% of the world’s crude oil and 32% of global natural gas technically recoverable resources—those that can be produced using current technology without reference to economic profitability—according to a study sponsored by the Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Mid-Month to Mid-Month: Prices Head Higher
Friday, September 19, 2014
The period from mid-August to mid-September saw prices begin to recoup a bit after their summer roller coaster ride. During the latest period, Group 140 retreated below Mont Belvieu as the Texas basing point recaptured its premium over the Midwestern hub. As dealers and customers alike prepare for the autumn and winter season, the markets are taking on a new sense of urgency. How supply and prices will play out this year is anyone’s guess.