-- The Louisiana Dept of Natural Resources on Oct 4 said 710, or
11.9%, of the 5,949 onshore and shallow water oil and natural gas
wells in a 38-parish region have been restored to production in the
aftermath of Katrina and Rita.
-- All Mexico's crude-loading ports on the Gulf of Mexico were
closed to shipping early on Oct 4 as Hurricane Stan whipped up high
winds and heavy seas, the Ministry of Communications and
Transportation reported. The shutdowns halted the bulk of Mexico's
1.7-mil b/d of crude exports.
-- BP, the world's second-largest listed oil company, said storms
that hit the US Gulf of Mexico would cut third-quarter profit by
over $700-mil and leave the company unable to meet a full-year
production target.
-- US President George W. Bush called on Congress to move forward
with legislation to expand the nation's refining capacity, saying
hurricanes Katrina and Rita should have made the need apparent to
all Americans.
-- Teppco Partners said its refined products pipelines, which run
from the US Gulf Coast to the Mid-Continent, are continuing to
increase operating rates in the aftermath of Hurricane Rita. Teppco,
in a statement, said its twin 110,000 b/d pipelines, which primarily
deliver gasoline and distillates, were pumping at roughly 75% of
capacity from the company's terminal in Baytown, Texas. The 230,000
b/d line was operating at 60%, while the Centennial Pipeline, which
Teppco owns jointly with Marathon Oil, has resumed normal
operations.
-- Colonial Pipeline is currently running at 86% of its average
100-mil gal/d operational capacity, a spokeswoman said on Oct 4.
Colonial volumes dropped after Hurricane Rita swept through its Gulf
Coast origin, knocking out power and shutting in several refineries.
-- Lyondell-Citgo Refining on said Oct 4 that its 268,000 b/d
joint venture Houston refinery is running at only 50% of capacity
because of "equipment problems" associated with its restart
following Hurricane Rita.
-- NYMEX is to lift the force majeure condition it declared Sept
23 for both September and October 2005 natural gas futures contract
delivery obligations, effective for Oct 5th's gas day. The exchange
made its move shortly after Sabine Pipe Line, which operates the
Henry Hub delivery point for the contract, reopened part of its
South Louisiana system after a 12-day shutdown caused by Rita.
Sabine is allowing nominations for flow between Columbia Gulf
Transmission and Gulf South Pipeline beginning on Oct 4.
-- One unit at Entergy Corp's Sabine Power Plant in Bridge City,
Texas, is operational and another will be in the near future, Joe
Domino, president of Entergy's operation in Texas said. The company
lost 12 of its 14 generating units in the wake of Rita. Domino said
the utility is working to restore power to the refineries in Port
Arthur, Texas. The remaining refineries are Total Petrochemicals,
Motiva and Valero. Entergy has no estimate when power will be
restored the Louisiana refineries it serves: Calcasieu, Citgo and
Conoco/Phillips, all in Lake Charles. The company early Tuesday
reported that 181,706 of its customers in Louisiana and Texas
without power, down from a peak of more than 766,000 immediately
after the storm.
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