NextDecade's Texas LNG Labor Increase, Baker Hughes' European Unit Sale: Your Daily Energy News

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News highlights gathered by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas) dealing with the energy markets.

LNG

FERC Approves NextDecade's Request for More Workers, Longer Hours at Site - U.S. federal regulators on Friday approved a request by NextDecade to increase the peak number of construction workers at its Rio Grande liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Texas, according to a regulatory filing. NextDecade told regulators that global geopolitical tensions had heightened demand for U.S. LNG, prompting developers to move quickly to bring new supply online. NextDecade asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for permission to raise its peak construction workforce by 2,275 workers to 7,500, up from the previously authorized 5,225, as it moves to ⁠accelerate construction of the LNG export terminal. Federal regulators are required to approve increases in manpower at LNG construction sites to ensure the developers keep within the preapproved environmental conditions.

FERC approved both the increase in construction workers and requests for round-the-clock construction, the filing ⁠showed. NextDecade is building five liquefaction trains at Rio Grande LNG with a combined capacity of about 30 million metric tons per annum. According to Industrial Info Resources data, the company is considering the addition of another three trains.

Subscribers to Industrial Info Resources' GMI Project Database can learn more by viewing the related project reports. (Reuters)

Pipelines

Nigeria Hopes to Begin Natural Gas Delivery on AKK Pipeline by July - Nigeria hopes to begin delivering natural gas to the capital Abuja by July through its long-delayed Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline, the country's upstream oil regulator said, marking a key milestone for the country's gas development plans. The 614-kilometer (382-mile) pipeline is designed to deliver more than 2.2 billion ⁠cubic feet per day of gas and is a core part of Nigeria's strategy to shift its energy mix towards natural gas, supply power plants and industries in the north, and reduce reliance on diesel and fuel oil. The project has missed several delivery targets, including earlier deadlines of 2023 and the final quarter of 2025. An ⁠energy lawyer involved in the project told Reuters that work is now at an advanced stage, with the pipeline more than 90% complete.

Industrial Info Resources is tracking three distinct segments of the pipeline, valued at more than US$2 billion, that are presently under construction and expected to be completed this summer. Subscribers to Industrial Info Resources' GMI Pipelines Project Database can learn more by viewing the related project reports. (Reuters)

Corporate

Baker Hughes to Sell Waygate Unit for $1.45 Billion - Baker Hughes said on Monday it will sell its Waygate Technologies unit to Sweden's Hexagon for about US$1.45 billion in cash, as the oilfield services provider reorganizes its business to focus on high-growth areas. Germany-based Waygate provides industrial testing and inspection equipment, and is part of Baker Hughes' Industrial & Energy Technology segment. Waygate's sale to Swedish industrial technology group Hexagon is expected to close in the second half of this year, Baker Hughes said. (Reuters)

About Industrial Info Resources
Industrial Info Resources is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, Industrial Info Resources is tracking over 250,000 current and future projects worth $30.2 trillion (USD).