Hess Corp

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, this year’s corn crop was 94 percent harvested by November 24, 2014. Unlike the 2013 harvest season,  related crop drying activity by farmers to extract moisture from harvested corn has not led to shortages of propane- the main fuel used to power dryers. A wetter than usual crop last year started a Midwest propane shortage that morphed into a crisis by January when Polar Vortex winter weather spiked demand again and pushed prices above $4/Gal. This year the Midwest propane market has to cope with the loss of a major transport artery – the Cochin pipeline that used to bring Canadian propane supplies to the Midwest but has now been reversed to carry U.S. diluent to Canada. Today we examine  new Midwest propane delivery infrastructure.

The latest crude production estimates from North Dakota show continued growth to a new record of nearly 770 Mb/d in December 2012. The North Dakota Pipeline Authority estimates that 64 percent of that crude was transported to market by rail in December – up from 58 percent in November. Today we continue our survey of North Dakota crude rail loading terminals with an in-depth look at three facilities that between them can load 250 Mb/d of crude.