Report Volume XXI, Number 9, January 1st, 2010

INDUSTRY NEWS (Houston TX) — Denso North America, the leaders in corrosion prevention and sealing technology, announced recently the release of Protal 7300, the newest coating product from the industry leader. Protal 7300 has been created especially for the exterior coating of pipelines, structures or other steel surfaces that may be wet or damp to the weather or environmental conditions.

Protal 7300 is a VOC- free, 100-percent solids epoxy coating specially formulated to coat dry, damp or wet surfaces. It is a high build liquid coating that can be applied in one coat either in the field or shop with a Denso Protal Applicator Pad, roller or brush.

“We developed Protal 7300 as a single-product solution to the challenges presented by working on steel in various climates and weather conditions,” said Jeff Baker, Regional manager for Denso North America. “The fact that Protal 7300 can be applied to either wet or dry surfaces makes it an ideal coating when moisture is an issue.”

Protal 7300 can be applied at temperatures ranging from 41°F to 150°F (5°C to 65°C). The recommended application thickness is 30 mils. Protal 7300 is available in both 1 liter and 1 gallon kits.

Denso has offices throughout the World and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Winn & Coales International originally established in London, England in 1883.

Denso is the first and original manufacturer of petrolatum tape, which was developed over 80 years ago for the “Long Life Protection” of buried steel pipelines against corrosion.

Denso’s anti-corrosion and sealing products have a proven track record of solving problems in all kinds of challenging environments worldwide, above or below ground and underwater.

INDUSTRY NEWS (Houston, TX) – Spectra Energy-Giant energy companies of the nation have shared that they are looking at a major expansion of natural gas pipeline across the New York City, which will not only boost the metropolitan’s use of natural gas while simultaneously pulling down the pollution produced as a result of use of alternate heating sources, but also benefit residents of New Jersey. Spectra Energy Corp. shared that a possible expansion of the Texas Eastern Transmission and Algonquin Gas Transmission pipeline will end up delivering up-to 800 million cubic feet of natural gas every single day, and this will go mostly to Consolidated Edison Inc., which is responsible for serving nearly 1 million natural gas customers in New York. The project is expected to be completed by 2013’s fourth quarter, but no confirmations about the costs involved. Provider of the natural gas, Chesapeake Energy Corp., has said that while the prime beneficiaries would be residents of New York, New Jersey people would also see more supplies. “The relative proximity of abundant Marcellus natural gas reserves to New York City will provide the public, utilities and businesses with a clean-burning alternative to existing dirtier fuel sources”, Chesapeake CEO Aubrey K. McClendon said.

INDUSTRY NEWS (Richmond, VA) – Dominion Resources said recently it will spend $253 million to upgrade a network of natural gas pipelines in West Virginia that was never designed to handle the gas bonanza that has been uncovered in the region. Large portions of the state sit on top of the Marcellus shale, where a massive deposit of natural gas that touches five states is locked in tight rock formations.

Dominion, which operates one of the largest natural gas storage systems in the country, said it has simply been overwhelmed in West Virginia. The work will ease pressure within its system and increase the amount of gas that producers can move out of the state.

The expansion includes nine new units for compressing gas, 25 miles of new and replacement pipe, and two new processing plants in Pleasants and Lewis counties. Daily capacity is expected to increase approximately 50 million cubic feet to 280 million.

Richmond, Va.-based Dominion, which serves about 2.4 million customers on the East Coast, said drilling companies have been lobbying to move more natural gas out of the state.

The drive to use more natural gas, which is a cleaner burning fuel than coal, could create new jobs in the power sector. Dominion said that will certainly happen with the project in West Virginia.

Geologists have known for generations of the deposits, but the technology to retrieve it economically has only been developed in the last decade or so.

Gas is being recovered at such a rapid rate that volumes going into storage have reached record levels. Storage facilities all over the country, are at or near capacity.

Other shale deposits have been found from Texas to North Dakota. The question now is what to do with a suddenly abundant and homegrown energy source. This week, Exxon Mobil rattled the market when it announced it was making a $30 billion bid on the future of natural gas, buying XTO Energy, a big producer. The West Virginia project is expected to be completed by the end of 2012.