News

Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP (KMP) has agreed to sell some of its Rocky Mountain natural-gas processing and pipeline assets to Tallgrass Energy Partners LP for approximately USD 1.8 billion as part of a deal with federal antitrust regulators to allow its recent acquisition of El Paso Corp.

 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff has issued its Safety Evaluation Report with open items for the license renewal application for the 908 MW Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station in Oak Harbor, OH. The four open items are: management of shield building cracks during the period of extended operation, operating experience review prior to entering the period of extended operation, time-limited aging analysis of reactor vessel neutron embrittlement and pressure-temperature limits. The results show that plant owner FirstEnergy Nuclear Operation Co.

Exelon Generation is to take on the management of the Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant under an operating services agreement with Omaha Public Power District (OPPD).

Xcel Energy said operators returned the 600 MW Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant near Monticello, Minn., and the Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant Unit 1, to full power August 20 after shutting them down the week prior. The Monticello plant was returned to full power after workers repaired a gasket on a pipe flange.

The rig tapped to embark on Shell's Arctic drilling programme set sail for the Beaufort Sea this week, as the Anglo-Dutch supermajor moved a step closer to launching its exploration plan off Alaska. The Conical Drilling Unit Kulluk departed on its two-week journey from Dutch Harbour on Monday, but delays related to lingering sea ice and permitting issues have already forced Shell to scale back its plans for the year in the Arctic. Shell is now reportedly planning to drill just two wells this summer. At the forefront of the delays is the completion of a containment system in the case of Shell losing control of one of its wells.

The Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago announced a deepwater competitive bid round for six offshore blocks in the East Coast Marine Area and Trinidad and Tobago Deep Atlantic Area earlier this year.

Boardwalk Pipeline Partners LP (BWP) and its general partner have agreed to acquire PL Midstream LLC from PL Logistics LLC for USD 625 million in cash.

   Southern Co. said testing has begun on a component in the construction of two new 1,100MW AP1000 nuclear units at Plant Vogtle 3 and 4 – a 560-foot tall heavy lift derrick, one of the biggest cranes in the world.

Canadian nuclear regulators have issued a site preparation licence for proposed new reactors at the Darlington site in Ontario.

Standard Exploration Ltd. and Canadian Energy Exploration Inc. announced they have entered into an arrangement agreement with respect to a combination of both companies.