Batangas-Manila Pipeline

MATCOR | Turnkey Cathodic Protection and AC Mitigation Solutions

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Energy (DOE) has asked the Court of Appeals (CA) to allow the reopening of the 117-kilometer Batangas-to-Manila white oil pipeline being operated by the Lopez-owned First Philippine Industrial Corp. (FPIC) after the leak test it conducted in December indicated no more leaks in the pipeline.

In a five-page manifestation submitted to the appellate court, Energy Undersecretary Jose Layug recommended that FPIC be allowed to start its operation anew pending the resolution of the petition for a writ of kalikasan with a motion for the issuance of a permanent environment protection order filed by residents of West Tower Condominium and Barangay Bangkal in Makati City who were displaced owing to the fuel leak.

Layug told the CA that the 43-year-old pipeline is still the “safest and most efficient” mode of transporting petroleum products despite of the leakage it experienced since “it poses lower risks to…

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Advance Corrosion for Oil & Gas Industry

Corrosioneering +

Click here to Download Course Details

Implementing Best Practices in Oil & Gas Corrosion
18th – 20th April, 2012 JW Marriot Hotel, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
Please see attached for agenda. Together enclosed is a registration form

An in-depth look into corrosion prediction will allocate enough budgets for proper corrosion management monitoring and anticipate mitigation plans in advance. This will ensure effective projects execution without costly consequences against any plans particularly in projects due to corrosion.

This Advance Corrosion Workshop for Oil & Gas Industry will tackle:

�� MASTER corrosion prediction with application like pH & Pourbaix Diagram

�� UNDERSTAND corrosion potential with Nernst Equation for effective corrosion prediction

�� UTILISE variation such as coupons, LPr, Tafel and EIS for corrosion measurement

�� GAIN knowledge of applications such as Evan Diagram on successful corrosion prediction

�� JUSTIFY how kinetics electrodes impact thermodynamic results

�� EXPEDITE mitigation solution for sour service

��…

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The World Corrosion Organization has designated April 24, 2012 as Corrosion Awareness Day

At last a day dedicated for Corrosion!

MATCOR | Turnkey Cathodic Protection and AC Mitigation Solutions

Corrosion Awareness Day is to highlight the estimated $2.2 trillion annual cost of corrosion worldwide (3 to 4% of GDP of industrialized countries) reflecting in part many decision-makers in industry and government not fully understanding the consequences of corrosion and how critical it is to control it.

However, the potential to reduce that cost by $660 billion annually through appropriate application of existing corrosion abatement technologies is readily achievable through access to and use of highly experienced corrosion professionals, harmonizing standards, along with continuing education and training all underpinned by promoting greater corrosion awareness.

MATCOR is committed to public safety, environmental stewardship and innovation. Our proprietary cathodic protection systems prevent and control corrosion from occuring on expensive infrastructure assets, new and old. In this spirit, MATCOR celebrates Corrosion Awarness Day with the launch of the www.corrosion.co website.

Corrosion Awareness Day Builds upon Earth Day, April 22.
Earth Day highlights…

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State Hearing to Focus on Increasing Funding for CA Public Utilities Commission

MATCOR | Turnkey Cathodic Protection and AC Mitigation Solutions

The California Public Utilities Commission is seeking to add seven new positions to its gas safety division 

A state assemblyman will be leading a hearing today to talk about possibly beefing up state regulators’ ability to oversee pipeline safety in the wake of the 2010 San Bruno pipeline explosion.

Assemblyman Rich Gordon, D-Menlo Park, who chairs the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Resources and Transportation, will be conducting the hearing from 9 a.m. to noon in the state capitol. The legislators will be reviewing the increased funding the California Public Utilities Commission has received to strengthen its safety oversight and enforcement over gas, electric, communications and rail public utilities throughout the state.

In particular, Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget proposes a budget of $5.896 million for the commission and increasing its staff to 41 people, which would include seven new positions in its gas safety division and an additional $300,000 to build a gas…

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PHMSA Proposes New Rule to Increase Enforcement of Pipeline Excavation Programs

MATCOR | Turnkey Cathodic Protection and AC Mitigation Solutions

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has proposed new procedures geared to strengthen excavation damage prevention programs and increase penalties for violators.

Excavation damage continues to be a leading cause of all U.S. pipeline failures and is the single greatest threat to the safety, reliability, and integrity of the natural gas distribution system. Excavation activities accounted for more than 25 percent of fatalities resulting from pipeline failures in the U.S. between 2002 and 2011.

“Safety is our top priority,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “It is important for states to have strong and effective enforcement programs as we work together to crack down on violators of these important laws.”

The proposed rule will encourage states to strengthen their excavation damage prevention enforcement programs, provide more protection for underground pipelines, and allow for federal enforcement against violators in cases where state enforcement may not…

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Corrosion Work on George Washington Bridge will take 10 years

MATCOR | Turnkey Cathodic Protection and AC Mitigation Solutions

Peter Zipf sounds more cardiologist than civil engineer when he talks about subjecting the George Washington Bridge to the equivalent of the classic battery of tests for heart disease and finding the first signs of plaque.

“It really is a little like giving somebody an EKG and checking their cholesterol levels,” said Zipf, the Port Authority’s chief engineer. “There are certain things you know you have to watch for, to catch them before they go too far.”

And chief among those certain things, as a bridge ages, is the corrosion that can sap the strength of its steel.

“Moisture is the big culprit,’” continued Zipf. “You have to constantly monitor the amount of corrosion and the rate of deterioration, and then determine when to intervene.”

The GWB’s test results have spurred the Port to intervene now and undertake the biggest rehabilitation in the 81-year history of the world’s busiest bridge…

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Pittsburgh-area site is chosen for major refinery

MATCOR | Turnkey Cathodic Protection and AC Mitigation Solutions

Shell Oil Co. has chosen a site near Pittsburgh for a major, multi-billion-dollar petrochemical refinery that could create thousands of construction jobs and provide a huge economic boost to the region.

Dan Carlson, Shell’s General Manager of New Business Development, said Thursday that the company signed a land option agreement with Horsehead Corp. to evaluate a site near Monaca, about 35 miles northwest of Pittsburgh.

The so-called ethane cracking, or cracker, plant would convert ethane from bountiful Marcellus Shale natural gas liquids into more profitable chemicals such as ethylene, which are then used to produce everything from plastics to tires to antifreeze.

The plants are called crackers because they use heat and other processes to break the ethane molecules into smaller chemical components. A cracker plant looks very similar to a gasoline refinery, with miles of pipes and large storage tanks. The final complex could cover several hundred acres.

Ohio…

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New Jersey Natural Gas wants to spend $204M on new pipes

MATCOR | Turnkey Cathodic Protection and AC Mitigation Solutions

New Jersey Natural Gas wants to replace about 343 miles of distribution pipes, old mains that are in danger of corrosion and leaks.

If approved by state regulators, the proposed five-year, $204 million project will occur throughout Monmouth, Ocean and Morris counties. The Wall-based utility sent the proposal to the state Board of Public Utilities on Tuesday.

It will replace cast iron and steel distribution lines that are at least 45 years old, as well as associated lines and meters that are connected to customers’ homes, spokesman Michael Kinney said. The scope of the project accounts for 60 percent of the utility’s aged infrastructure, which totals 570 miles out of more than 7,000 miles of pipe.

The cast iron and steel distribution mains, which either lack or have deteriorated wax or epoxy coatings, were commonly use in the industry prior to 1970, the utility said. They are more susceptible to…

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U.S. Sen. Bob Casey visits Allentown to call for greater transparency on pipeline safety information

MATCOR | Turnkey Cathodic Protection and AC Mitigation Solutions

Visiting the site of last year’s massive gas explosion in Allentown, U.S. Sen.Bob Casey, D-Pa., announced he was pushing for Pennsylvania to improve public transparency regarding pipeline safety information.

In a letter he sent today to the chairman of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, Casey said improving that transparency will help reduce the amount gas pipeline incidents and help protect state residents.

“The Public Utility Commission should be providing more information to the people of Allentown, the people of the Lehigh Valley, and the people of this Commonwealth,” Casey said.

He made the statement at the gravel lot at 13th and Allen streets, which was the site of several homes before the Feb. 9, 2011, explosion.

Casey cited an independent report by the Pipeline Safety Trust that gave Pennsylvania a score of 0.75 out of 3 in pipeline information transparency, and ranked it 25th among states in that area.

Jennifer Kocher, spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Public…

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Canada gives preliminary OK for new pipeline

MATCOR | Turnkey Cathodic Protection and AC Mitigation Solutions

The Canadian government said it conditionally approved plans by a division of TransCanada to expand natural gas pipeline capacity in the country’s west.

The National Energy Board announced it approved of three natural gas loops in northeastern British Columbia and northwestern Alberta. The 69-mile loops make up the so-called Northwest Mainline Expansion Project submitted by NOVA Gas Transmission Ltd., TransCanada’s Alberta division.

The $325 million project will link natural gas supplies in the region to markets in Canada and the United States, the NEB said.

“The NEB’s approval of this project is contingent on conditions that (NOVA) must meet,” the agency said in a statement. “The conditions relate to pipeline integrity, the protection of the environment, protection and monitoring of caribou habitat, and matters of public and Aboriginal consultation.”

The company estimates production from shale and conventional natural gas plays in the region could reach around 3.5 million cubic feet…

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