Energy Tomorrow Blog

Creativity, Innovation and Expertise Help Address Storage Challenge

crude oil tankers  storage tanks  standards  spr 

John D. Siciliano
Posted April 30, 2020

Meeting short-term crude oil storage challenges has our industry looking at a number of measures to safely route and handle the surplus resulting from the demand decline tied to global efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19.

API President and CEO Mike Sommers told CNBC that the industry is thinking outside the box to find “creative solutions” to ship and store an historic amount of oil beyond its usual means.

To be sure, there also are separate infrastructure challenges in getting crude oil to where there is storage. Many pipelines in the nation’s transportation network are full up or contracted – partly reflecting the country’s infrastructure needs that pre-date COVID-19. That’s a subject for a separate post. The fact remains industry is focused on finding storage as markets rebalance between supply and demand.

More »

Hurricane Update: Storage Tank Safety, Improved Fuel Outlook

hurricane response  florida  texas  storage tanks  fuel supply 

Mark Green
Posted September 12, 2017

Florida has no refineries, but it hosts a number of tanks for storing product and terminals, all of which will need assessing – as has been ongoing in Texas following Hurricane Harvey. We’ll see what is discovered. What we know is that API standards for the large, above-ground tanks used to store crude oil and fuels, like the ones we visited for this post a couple years ago, are designed to help prevent potential spills.

More »

Moving the Energy That Moves America

infrastructure  pipelines  storage tanks  fuels  oil and natural gas industry 

Mark Green
Posted September 26, 2014

Let’s talk energy infrastructure, focusing on the pipelines and the fuel storage and dispensing facilities in this country that keep commercial jetliners in the air and our vehicles moving on the roads and highways.

Part of that system is visible in suburban Washington, D.C., at the terminus for Kinder Morgan’s 3,100-mile Plantation Pipeline network (left) and the neighboring Newington Terminal, which API staff members toured recently.

More »

Investing in Energy Infrastructure, Investing in America

infrastructure  energy investment  oil and natural gas development  economic growth  pipeline construction  storage tanks 

Mark Green
Posted April 15, 2014

Last month a new study said more than $640 billion in energy infrastructure investments will be needed in the U.S. over the next two decades. Needed are pipelines, pumps and other infrastructure to keep pace with expected increases in domestic oil and natural gas production, the ICF International report said – much of it coming from energy reserves found in shale and other tight-rock formations through advanced hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling. ICF:

“Sufficient infrastructure goes hand in hand with well-functioning markets. Insufficient infrastructure can constrain market growth and strand supplies, potentially leading to increased price volatility and reduced economic activity.”

More »

Well Site Safety the Focus of Standards, Awareness Programs

energy  oerb  storage tanks 

Mark Green
Posted March 5, 2013

Safety at unmanned oil well sites is important to the oil and natural gas industry.  A key issue is safety at oil field storage tanks. Typically these are located in rural or remote locations – though oil and natural gas development is moving into more urban, more populated areas as well.  People who aren’t authorized to be on these sites should stay away from such facilities.

Standards developed by API and industry companies are designed to reduce the risk of accident, and improving them is an ongoing effort.  Standards that take safety into account are being studied as are efforts to expand education and outreach efforts. Existing standards address tank installations and maintenance and promote safe working conditions and operations.

More »