Pa. shale permits drop 49% in September, but private equity drillers load up

While the number of shale gas drilling permits in Pennsylvania dropped nearly in half in September year over year, the pattern of permitting showed active producers chasing natural gas liquids such as ethane and propane in wet gas in the southwest corner of the state. The number of permits for shale wells dropped 49% in September compared with the year prior, with EQT Corp., the nation's largest gas producer by volume, a big part of that decrease.

UPDATE: Enbridge plans to retire Line 5 oil, liquids service, relocate to tunnel

Michigan regulators announced Oct. 3 that Enbridge Inc. agreed to shut down an underwater oil and natural gas liquids pipeline system under the waterway connecting Lake Michigan and Lake Huron and tunnel into the bedrock to house new energy infrastructure. Under the agreement, Enbridge would cover the costs of the tunnel construction, which is expected to take seven to 10 years, and would build new pipe inside the tunnel.

Epic Midstream to use final phase of Permian NGL pipe project for crude service

Due to high customer demand, Epic Midstream Holdings LP is temporarily using a portion of its Epic NGL pipeline to transport crude oil across the Permian Basin. The partnership's crude oil pipeline subsidiary would use the segment running from Crane, Texas, to Corpus Christi, Texas, to deliver crude under a lease arrangement while the crude oil pipeline and NGL fractionator components of the project are under construction. Epic would convert the pipeline back to NGL service when the crude oil pipeline is completed in January 2020.

Superior Plus closes on acquisition of United Liquid Gas Co.

Canada-based Superior Plus Corp. said Oct. 2 that it closed the acquisition of all of the outstanding shares of United Liquid Gas Co., an independent wholesale propane and butane distributor in California that operates under the name United Pacific Energy. United Pacific Energy operates four rail terminals with approximately 9.8 million liters of natural gas liquid storage capacity, serving over 115 wholesale customers, which include retail propane distribution companies, primarily in California.