Cabot Oil Gas Corp News

The Gemmata liquefied natural gas tanker left Dominion Energy Inc's Cove Point LNG export facility in Maryland early Friday, likely carrying the first export cargo from the facility that was expected to enter service in March, according to Reuters shipping data and energy traders. Officials at Dominion were not immediately available for comment. When the Gemmata docked at Cove Point earlier this week, analysts said it would likely be the first vessel to pick up fuel from the facility since the tanker came from Spain - a non-LNG exporting country - with less than a full cargo. Dominion has spent about $4 billion to add export facilities at Cove Point, long an LNG import terminal on the Chesapeake Bay.

Gemmata could be the first vessel to pick up fuel from the facility since the tanker came from Spain - a non-LNG exporting country - with less than a full cargo, according to the shipping data. In addition to Gemmata, another vessel, the Methane Spirit, is also headed for Cove Point, according to the shipping data. Methane Spirit is located near Singapore and is expected to reach Cove Point around March 31. Once it enters service, Cove Point will be the second big LNG export terminal in the lower 48 U.S. Cove Point is designed to liquefy about 0.75 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) of gas. One bcfd can power about 5 million homes. In December, Dominion said Royal Dutch Shell Plc would take the initial LNG cargoes from Cove Point.

Methane Spirit, a liquefied natural gas tanker, said on Thursday it would arrive at Dominion Energy Inc's Cove Point LNG export facility in Maryland around March 31, according to Reuters shipping data. If correct, that could be the first vessel to pick up a cargo from the LNG facility, which Virginia-based Dominion said it expects to enter service in March. Dominion said it planned to spend $4 billion to add export facilities at Cove Point, long an LNG import terminal on the Chesapeake Bay. The Methane Spirit is currently off the coast of Japan where it was expected to drop off a cargo from Australia, according to the shipping data. Once it enters service, Cove Point will be the second big LNG export terminal in the lower 48 U.S.

U.S. energy firms are scrambling to finish a slew of pipelines that will unleash rich reserves of shale gas in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio as the nation prepares to become one of the world’s top natural gas exporters. The pipelines are expected to boost output from shale fields in the three states by giving producers access to new domestic and international markets. Those states could supply about a third of all U.S. natural gas once the pipeline expansion is complete, up from about 25 percent now, according to projections from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

U.S. energy firms this week cut oil rigs for an 10th week in a row to the lowest levels since December 2009, data showed on Friday, as some producers focus more on completing their drilled but uncompleted wells instead of drilling new ones. Looking forward, analysts forecast the rig count will bottom in a few months before recovering later this year when they expect crude prices to rise. Drillers removed 13 oil rigs in the week ended Feb. 26, bringing the total rig count down to 400, oil services company Baker Hughes Inc said in its closely followed report. That compares with 986 oil rigs operating in same week a year ago. In 2015, drillers cut on average 18 rigs per week for a total of 963 oil rigs for the year, the biggest annual decline since at least 1988.

Reuters has reported that Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. said it agreed to sell its offshore portfolio and south Louisiana properties, which include the Etouffee field, to Phoenix Exploration Co. LP for $340m. Cabot plans to use the sale proceeds to repurchase shares, fund operations and repay some of its debt, its statement said. The sale is expected to close September 29 subject to due diligence and other customary closing conditions, the oil and gas company added. Source: Reuters