Gas Distribution

Italy's Snam Takes Steps to Guarantee Gas Flows During Coronavirus Outbreak

Italian gas grid operator Snam has put in place emergency measures to ensure it can keep gas flowing during the coronavirus outbreak.

Eversource to Acquire Columbia Gas of Massachusetts Assets for $1.1 Billion

Eversource Energy announced that it has reached an agreement to purchase the Massachusetts natural gas assets of Columbia Gas for $1.1 billion from NiSource.

Utility to Pay $53M for Fatal Gas Line Explosion

A utility company will pay the largest criminal fine ever imposed for breaking a federal pipeline safety law — $53 million — and plead guilty to causing a series of natural gas explosions in Massachusetts that killed one person and damaged dozens of homes, federal officials said Wednesday.

New Record for Gas Main Relining

With rehabilitation of a 620-foot-long segment of 42-inch-diameter gas main last summer, New Jersey contractor Progressive Pipeline Management (PPM) broke its own world record for the largest size natural gas pipe to be rehabilitated with Starline cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) liner.

Texas Railroad Commission Adopts New Pipeline Safety Rules

The Railroad Commission (RRC) of Texas has adopted new natural gas pipeline safety rules regarding the type of natural gas distribution pipelines that are allowed to be installed.

CenterPoint Energy to Sell Miller Pipeline and Minnesota Limited to PowerTeam Services

CenterPoint Energy has announced an agreement to sell Miller Pipeline and Minnesota Limited to PowerTeam Services for $850 million in cash, subject to customary price adjustments.

Ohio Power Siting Board Approves Natural Gas Pipeline Route

The Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) has approved a route for Duke Energy’s Central Corridor natural gas pipeline following a review of the company’s application and hearings on the 14-mile project.

U.S. Department of Energy Awards $25 Million to Improve Natural Gas Operations

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has selected 16 projects to receive nearly $25 million in federal funding for cost-shared projects to advance natural gas infrastructure technology development.

FERC Approves Chesapeake Utilities Pipeline Expansion

Chesapeake Utilities has announced that FERC has issued an order approving the Company's proposed Del-Mar Energy pipeline project.

Jesse Jackson Joins Push for Natural Gas Pipeline to Illinois Town

Not all pipeline activists are fighting against more construction. Rev. Jesse Jackson has joined local leaders in calling for extension of natural gas service to a low-income township south of Chicago.

Fed Recommendations Based on 2018 Massachusetts Blasts

Federal officials are recommending stronger nationwide requirements for natural gas systems following last September's natural gas explosions and fires in Massachusetts.

New York Governor Threatens to Revoke National Grid License

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has given gas utility company National Grid 14 days to supply gas to over 1,100 customers or he will revoke the company’s license to operate.

Report Blames R.I. Winter Gas Outage on Low Pipe Pressure

Rhode Island public utilities regulators say a natural gas outage that affected more than 7,000 customers last winter was caused by low pressure in a pipeline.

Family of Teen Killed During Gas Explosions Settles Lawsuit

The family of a high school student who was killed during a series of natural gas explosions in Massachusetts last year has reached a settlement with the utility involved in the disaster, a lawyer for the family and the company announced.

5 Workers Hurt in Houston-Area Natural Gas Line Explosion

Five workers have been injured when a natural gas line exploded in a residential neighborhood southeast of Houston. The blast occurred as a CenterPoint Energy contractor was working along a line Thursday.

NTSB Probe Yields New Safety Recommendations for Gas Utilities

Federal safety officials are recommending new rules for natural gas leak reporting and installations after investigating the cause of an explosion that killed seven people at a Maryland apartment complex in 2016.

Give Them What They Ask For

When an energy source is extremely economical, much-more environmentally friendly and readily available, common sense would dictate that you encourage development of that source. But sometimes common sense and reality prove to be dramatically different thing..

Mass. Budgets Statewide Review of Natural Gas Systems

Gov. Charlie Baker has signed a spending bill that funds a statewide examination of Massachusetts’ natural gas distribution system. The review was ordered after the Sept. 13 gas explosions that killed one person, injured 25 others and damaged or destroyed dozens of buildings in the Merrimack Valley.

American Augers/Trencor Launch New Website

American Augers/Trencor, a Charles Machine Works company and leading manufacturer of horizontal directional drills, auger boring machines and large-scale trenchers and surface miners, launched a newly designed website. Bringing together the two brands with the message – “Two Brands. One Commitment” ..

Rise of the Internet and Loss of the Human Touch

Robert Carpenter | Editor-in-Chief I’ve spent some frustrating times both calling companies and getting on their websites the past few years. Now, I’m getting downright infuriated – and that goes for both general markets and underground infrastructure companies. Quick, responsive customer service h..

Energy Web Atlas Launches World Pipeline Dataset

Gulf Energy Information has added the World Pipeline layer to its Energy Web Atlas (EWA), the ESRI-based GIS platform introduced earlier this year that tracks detailed data – including operators, shareholders, pipeline route and pipeline specifications – for more than 3,670 natural gas pipelines glo..

Challenges of Leak Detection on Produced Water, Crude Gathering Networks

Oil producers laid hundreds of miles of gathering pipelines to keep pace with the shale boom across North America from 2009 to 2017. As a result, produced water production has increased exponentially with oil and gas production. Produced water is a byproduct along with the oil and gas. Oil and gas r..

Mobile App Provides Information, Training for Contractors, Utilities

Verocomm Network has introduced a new mobile app that provides information and training content to employees in the field. The cloud-based Verocomm app is a secure, easy-to-use platform for delivering critical communications, training and safety on mobile devices, said Lawrence Martel, CEO of Aclip..

Customers Experience New Equipment, Technology at Annual Seminar

Customers worldwide traveled to the Perry, Okla., headquarters of Ditch Witch, a Charles Machine Works Company, to participate in the annual Equipment Seminar in April. More than 300 dealership employees and their customers experienced an up-close look at customer-driven equipment enhancements and n..

WSSC Awards Contract to Transform Sewage into Renewable Energy

The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) has approved the first phase of a $250 million project that will turn poop to power by transforming sewage into renewable energy.  The $44 million contract awarded to PC Construction Company will allow WSSC to begin design and early construction of ..

Arcadis Provides ‘Living’ Software Presentation to Assess Interceptor Condition, Risk

At the April 4 meeting of the Gulf Coast Chapter of the Underground Construction Technology Association, Harrison Steed, P.E., senior project manager with Arcadis, discussed  a complex project involving Dallas Water Utilities’ wastewater collection system. Spanning more  than 230 miles of large-diam..

Del Puerto Water District Wins ACWA's 2018 Clair A. Hill Water Agency Award for Excellence

The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) has awarded the 2018 Clair A. Hill Water Agency Award for Excellence to the Del Puerto Water District for its North Valley Regional Recycled Water Program. The program is an innovative solution to water supply and reliability issues in the San Joa..

Urban Water Scarcity Challenge Opens to Startups

Imagine H2O has opened its 2018 Urban Water Scarcity Challenge to water startups advancing resilient drinking water solutions in fast-growing cities globally. The challenge aligns with U.N. Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG6), which calls for universal access to safe and affordable drinking water ..

Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission Celebrates 100 Years of Service

In celebration of its 100th year of service, the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) is hosting a regional symposium, A Century of Innovation, tomorrow, May 1, at the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center on the campus of the University of Maryland, College Park. The symposium brings together wa..

CUIRE Study Finds CIPP Reports Non-Conclusive

Researchers at the University of Texas at Arlington’s Center for Underground Infrastructure Research and Education and the Institute for Underground Infrastructure in Germany have completed a four-month study on the review of published literature pertaining to chemical emissions of styrene-based res..