Frack-Sand Plant Fire Threatens Supplies for Texas Shale Wells
A frack-sand plant in the Eagle Ford region of Texas erupted in flames over the weekend, imperiling supplies...
A frack-sand plant in the Eagle Ford region of Texas erupted in flames over the weekend, imperiling supplies of a key component in shale drilling.
The blaze at Superior Silica Sands LLC’s sand-processing complex in San Antonio began around 2:30 a.m. local time on Saturday, according to reports from the city’s NBC and CBS television affiliates. A voicemail left at Superior’s Chandler, Arizona, headquarters outside of regular business hours wasn’t immediately returned.
Sand is an essential part of the mix, along with water and chemicals, that frackers pump into shale wells to crack open the rock and release crude oil and natural gas.
“Our hunch is that this may be pretty disruptive to Eagle Ford sand supplies(which were already very tight before this fire) through year-end,” Joseph Triepke, managing director at energy-research firm Lium LLC, wrote in a note to clients on Saturday. ~ Source: Bloomberg
The energy sector opened lower, pressured by weakness in the crude complex...
The energy sector opened lower, pressured by weakness in the crude complex and the major market futures. U.S. equities kicked-off the holiday-shortened week lower as COVID-19 flare-ups in China increase fears of slowing growth.
WTI and Brent crude oil are down to near two-month lows as traders are concerned over the demand outlook due to China’s Zero COVID-19 policy and on strength in the dollar.New COVID case numbers in China are close to April peaks leading some districts in Beijing to switch to online classes on Monday. Additionally, the city of Guangzhou ordered a five-day lockdown. The prospect of higher interest rates continues to add strength to the greenback.
Natural gas futures are up this morning amid forecasts for lower temperatures in the New England region, than previously expected.In international news, QatarEnergy has signed a 27-year deal to supply China's Sinopec with LNG, the longest such LNG agreement so far as volatile markets drive buyers to seek a long-term deal
Mostly disappointing climate conference ends with a single breakthrough. Delegates...
Mostly disappointing climate conference ends with a single breakthrough. Delegates at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt agreed to create a fund that will compensate lower-income nations for losses and damages they suffer from weather disasters fueled by greenhouse gas emissions spewed by richer nations. But despite that step forward, leaders did not agree to any more ambitious targets for emissions cuts, which would help prevent future costly disasters from happening in the first place.
Markets: It’ll be a short but stuffed (get it) week for investors. In the lead-up to Thanksgiving, when markets will close, we’ll get another batch of earnings reports and minutes from the previous Fed meeting. Traders will have to clock in on Black Friday for a half day.