How to Convert the Country to Natural Gas, by T. Boone Pickens

Photograph by Matt Rainwaters for Bloomberg Businessweek

April 11, 2013

By T. Boone Pickens

It starts with getting into the transportation sector. When I started the Pickens Plan in 2008, there were about 200,000 vehicles on natural gas in the world; now there’s about 16 million. That growth’s coming from everywhere but the U.S. Places like Iran and Argentina. China’s already got 40,000 trucks on LNG [liquefied natural gas], and they import the stuff. And here we are in the U.S., with more natural gas than any other country in the world, and we aren’t doing a thing about it. It’s just amazing to me that these dumb f-‍-‍-s in D.C. don’t see this opportunity and try to capitalize on it.

The best thing to do is focus on heavy-duty trucks and give them a tax credit. It could work like a toll road, what you call a pay-for system. If you use it, you pay for it. So you give these guys a break upfront to convert to natural gas trucks, and then you tax the natural gas.

You don’t put natural gas in your corner gasoline station. You put natural gas in a truck stop. It’s a fuel that competes against diesel. There are about 8 million heavy-duty trucks in the U.S. If you convert them to natural gas, that boosts consumption by about 15 billion to 20 billion cubic feet a day. Right now we do about 70 billion cubic feet a day. So that extra demand would immediately boost the price and get drills moving again. Today natural gas is about $2.79 a gallon, compared with about $4.79 for diesel. That’s a huge advantage. But here’s the thing: If you take natural gas from about $4 (per thousand cubic feet) to $6, you only increase it by about 28¢ a gallon. So it’s cleaner by 30 percent and still cheaper by almost a half.

• Pickens is founder, chairman, and CEO of the hedge fund BP Capital. As told to Matthew Philips

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EIA Projections Show U.S. Energy Production Growing Faster than Consumption

EIA issued its Annual Energy Outlook 2013 (AEO2013) Reference case, which highlights a growth in total U.S. energy production that exceeds growth in total U.S. energy consumption through 2040.

“EIA’s updated Reference case shows how evolving consumer preferences, improved technology, and economic changes are pushing the nation toward more domestic energy production, greater vehicle efficiency, greater use of clean energy, and reduced energy imports,” said EIA Administrator Adam Sieminski.

“This combination has markedly reduced projected energy-related carbon dioxide emissions,” said Mr. Sieminski.

AEO2013 offers a number of key findings, including:

Crude oil production, especially from tight oil plays, rises sharply over the next decade. Domestic oil production will rise to 7.5 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2019, up from less than 6 million bpd in 2011.

Motor gasoline consumption will be less than previously estimated. Compared with the last AEO, the AEO2013 shows lower gasoline use, reflecting the introduction of more stringent corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards. Growth in diesel fuel consumption will be moderated by the increased use of natural gas in heavy-duty vehicles.

The United States becomes a net exporter of natural gas earlier than estimated a year ago. Because quickly rising natural gas production outpaces domestic consumption, the United States will become a net exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in 2016 and a net exporter of total natural gas (including via pipelines) in 2020.

Renewable fuel use grows at a much faster rate than fossil fuel use. The share of electricity generation from renewables grows to 16 percent in 2040 from 13 percent in 2011.

Net imports of energy decline. The decline reflects increased domestic production of both petroleum and natural gas, increased use of biofuels, and lower demand resulting from the adoption of new vehicle fuel efficiency standards and rising energy prices. The net import share of total U.S. energy consumption falls to 9 percent in 2040 from 19 percent in 2011.

The AEO2013 Reference case focuses on the drivers that shape U.S. energy markets under the assumption that current laws and regulations remain generally unchanged throughout the projection period. The complete AEO2013, to be released in early 2013, will include many alternative cases in recognition of the uncertainty inherent in making projections about energy markets, which in part arises from assumptions about policies and other market drivers such as trends in prices and economic growth.

• Key updates made for the AEO2013 Reference case include the following:
• Extension of the projection period through 2040, an additional 5 years beyond AEO2012.
• A revised outlook for industrial production to reflect the impacts of increased shale gas production and lower natural gas prices, which result in faster growth for industrial production and energy consumption. The industries affected include, in particular, bulk chemicals and primary metals.
• Adoption of final model year 2017 to 2025 greenhouse gas emissions and CAFE standards for light-duty vehicles (LDVs), which increases the projected combined fuel economy of new LDVs to 47.3 mpg in 2025.
• Updated modeling of LNG export potential.
• Updated power generation unit costs that capture recent cost declines for some renewable technologies, which tend to lead to greater use of renewable generation, particularly solar technologies.

EIA Projections Show U.S. Energy Production Growing Faster than Consumption LNG World News.

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• The Future Of US Energy In 4 Charts (businessinsider.com)
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• US Energy Mix to 2040 per EIA (simplerna.com)

Maxximus World Records Highlight Power of LNG

April 13, 2012 | USA, Los Angeles CA

Maintaining the crown as the world’s fastest street-legal car, the Maxximus LNG 2000, the brainchild of financier Bruce McMahan and Indianapolis-based designer Marlon Kirby, has now set world records for both LNG (liquefied natural gas) and LPG (propane). By utilizing proprietary technology, the Maxximus team say they have revolutionized the next generation of green vehicles that provides “legendary” versatility for using both natural fuels and reducing our dependence on foreign fuel sources.

The Maxximus LNG 2000 achieved both records at the South Georgia Motorsports Park, with LNG records broken in January and LPG records broken in march.

The table below displays the results. Note the outstanding 0 – 60 mph (0 – 97 kph) in just 1.96 seconds.

MAXXIMUS	LPG	LNG
0 – 60 mph	2.6 seconds	1.96 seconds
0 – 150 mph		9.21 seconds
Speed in 1/4 mile	134 mph	159.9 mph
Speed in 1/4 mile	215.5 kph	257.3 kph
1/4 mile elapsed time	10.28 seconds	9.63 seconds

The car can run on LNG, CNG and LPG with on demand adjustments.

Centaur Performance Group is owned by financier and philanthropist Bruce McMahan, who states, “When it comes to automobile performance, natural gas is at the forefront of people’s thinking. By using both LNG and LPG instead of gasoline, Centaur is taking up the charge in doing all it can to reduce America’s dependence on foreign fuel sources.”

“Natural gas is a lot more attractive given the situation in the market, and there isn’t a car on the market that currently utilizes both LNG and propane. It’s the ultimate win-win for everybody,” commented Kirby.

In addition, Centaur is also developing a consumer-targeted line of vehicles called the Centaur Dragonfly that can be powered by four fuel types — gasoline, LNG, LPG and CNG (compressed natural gas).

(This article compiled using information from a Centaur Maxximus Motion press release)

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Iran pays Statoil loan with gas

Norway’s Statoil receives regular amounts of butane and propane from Iran as its creditor, according to reports.

The Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) deliveries are to cover the country’s National Iranian Oil Company loan from Statoil.

Press spokesperson Bård Glad Pedersen tells NA24, “that is correct, and this is in line with the original contract’s repayment options.”

Ban on oil

The EU announced, Monday, it was to impose a total ban on oil imports from Iran effective 01 July. Statoil says it will be raising the matter with Norwegian authorities.

However, Mr Glad Pedersen underlines that debt repayments relating to already-completed contracts in the form of petroleum product are exempted.

“Our assessment, therefore, is that we will still be able to receive these even after the sanctions come into force. We will continue our dialogue with Norwegian authorities to ensure this is understood,” he concludes.

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