Midstream Business Magazine - July/August 2014

Cover Story

Private Equity: Paving The Path

Private equity has stepped up its role in moving resources to their markets as North American unconventional plays produce more hydrocarbons. But people are as important as the prospects.

Editor's Note

New Look, Same Goal

Regular readers will notice several new things as they thumb through this issue.

Construction Update

Calling All Pipelines

At the recent North Dakota Governor’s Pipeline Summit in Bismarck, Gov. Jack Dalrymple had a message for industry leaders: We aren’t even close to too much of a good thing.

Feature

Big Country, Big Investment, Big Expenses

Australia’s ocean of resources and strategic location entice, but surging project costs prompt caution.

Closing Bell

Test-Marketing Environmentalism

FERC And The Energy Boom

A commissioner outlines steps his federal agency can take to assure proper development of new gas resources.

Giving The K-1 Some Love

MLP complexity can be a boon for its current investors.

REITs Building Up The Midstream

With a transformative period at its back, CorEnergy Infrastructure Trust moves real estate into energy infrastructure.

The Interview: Off To The Races

C. Gregory Harper serves as principal executive officer for Midcoast Energy Partners LP, a new MLP sponsored by Enbridge Energy Partners. He also serves as president, gas pipelines and processing, for Enbridge.

Third Time’s The Charm

Persistence paid off as Crosstex and Devon formed EnLink after years of trust building.

Alerian Index

MLP Parents Instill Values In Their Children

In much the same way parents encourage their children to succeed, recent MLP merger and acquisition (M&A) activity has been driven by general partners (GPs) trying to create value, either at the GP level, the limited partner (LP) level, or both.

Finance Matters

Crude Exports? Not Yet.

The headlines as July began proposed major change—even if tempered with perhaps a bit of caution.

News Flow

Analyst: ‘Incredible uncertainty’ in Marcellus takeaway

Takeaway capacity in the Northeast region of the Marcellus Shale at present is “barely ahead” of production, and that tells you everything you need to know, according to Jefferies & Co. equity analyst Subash Chandra.

Competition breeds success for Cheniere

If it appears that Cheniere Energy Inc. is just ahead of the pack in the LNG markets race, look again.

Infrastructure financing here if regulators are willing

The funding to start building more than one-quarter trillion dollars’ worth of needed infrastructure is virtually there for the spending, but U.S. gas pipeline capacity will continue to be constrained until regulatory reform catches up with reality.

No need to polarize climate change discussion

The human race has never before had to deal with issues such as climate change, global warming, greenhouse gases and expanding population vs. reasonably priced energy, according to professor Jim White.

Rail filling void when pipelines fall short

The West Coast has largely been left behind as the rest of the country enjoys the benefits of the shale boom, according to Dallas-based consultancy Turner, Mason and Co. (TMC).

Refinery runs to increase this year

Global refinery runs will rise by about 1 million barrels per day (MMbbl/d) this year, according to a new report by the research and consulting firm GlobalData.

U.S. provides more of its own energy

The U.S. is not self-sufficient in energy—yet—but it’s getting closer, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

NGL Frac Spread

Mild Summer Reloads Inventories

NGL prices were largely stagnant, with a slight trend down at the beginning of July as they followed losses for natural gas prices and crude.

Transaction Update

Investors Show Their Love

An hour and a half into trading on the New York Stock Exchange on June 16, Williams Cos. Inc. had added a whopping $8.6 billion to its market cap, or about 43% more than it had just offered to pay for Access Midstream Partners LP.