Did you see the recent cover story on TIME magazine? Ethanol was once again blasted for being too expensive aad energy-inefficient, not scalable, and in fact, creating its own pollution. I still believe we will need more ethanol, and I hope in the future, it will be made from cellulosic materials more than from corn. But at the same time, the public may be less enamored of ethanol than in the past. It is getting more information all the time about the inherent limitations of ethanol (called "deathanol" by investors who have seen their ethanol-linked equities plunge on the back of a glut). "We ought to love ethanol--they run all their ethanol refineries on natural gas," quipped Larry Nichols, CEO of Devon Energy Corp., one of the nation's biggest natural gas producers. He spoke recently in Fort Worth at our largest conference ever, Developing Unconventional Gas. Nichols said corn consumes 40% more fertilizer than any other common crop, and fertilizer is made from natural gas, so that too, increases natural gas demand.
Recommended Reading
Williams Completes Mid-Atlantic Transco Expansion Project
2024-12-30 - Williams Cos.'s Transco Southside Reliability Enhancement project is now online.
High Court Hears Potentially Influential Uinta Basin Case
2024-12-11 - U.S. Supreme Court justices heard arguments over a Utah railroad that could have big implications for the energy sector’s adherence to environmental requirements.
Midstreamers Say Need for More Permian NatGas Pipelines Inevitable
2024-11-26 - The Permian Basin’s associated gas output could outstrip the region’s planned capacity well before the end of the decade, pipeline company executives said.
Enterprise Opens Fuel Storage, Distribution Terminal in Utah
2024-10-29 - Enterprise Products Partners’ newly converted Texas Western Products system relies on old NGL pipeline networks.