Released October 01, 2024 | SUGAR LAND
en
Written by Daniel Graeber for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Utility crews from Florida to the Carolinas spent the start of the week working to restore power to the estimated 4 million people left in the dark by Hurricane Helene and its aftermath.
Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane late Thursday in Florida's Big Bend area, with maximum sustained winds of around 140 miles per hour. An estimated 4 million people were without power in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas and more than 100 people were left dead in its aftermath.
"We have deployed rescue teams, transportation crews, water, mobile kitchens and more," said North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper.
Weather forecasters had warned of severe erosion in parts of the Appalachian Mountain range. Cooper added that recovery would require a long-term effort after parts of North Carolina received as much as 32 inches of rain from the remnants of Helene. As of Saturday, Industrial Info had identified nearly 50 plants in North Carolina that were potentially impacted by the storm.
President Joe Biden had declared states of emergency for parts of the country impacted by Helene. Biden's office said on Sunday that more than 3,300 federal workers were deployed for the recovery efforts.
Elsewhere, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are moving generators into the Carolinas to help with power restoration.
"We have boots on the ground all across the state," said Keller Kissam, the president of the South Carolina arm of utility company Dominion Energy Incorporated (NYSE:D) (Richmond, Virginia). "Crews continue to assess damage even as we rebuild our system from the ground up in communities where the impacts were catastrophic."
By Sunday, at least 2.3 million people nation-wide were still without power from the storm.
The storm avoided Gulf Coast states such as Louisiana and Texas, leaving much of the inland energy sector spared. Some port terminals were closed in Florida, however, limiting the availability of refined petroleum products.
Florida has no refineries of its own.
Offshore and operators were quick to restore any production centers moved or closed down because of the storm. The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), an offshore energy regulator, issued its final notice on offshore activity on Sunday, reporting that only 3.3% of total Gulf oil production was shut in and nearly all of the gas production was back online. About half the production was shut in at the peak last week.
The Gulf of Mexico typically accounts for about 15% of total U.S. crude oil production, or 1.8 million BBL/d. Gas production is marginal relative to the amount coming from inland shale basins.
It had been a relatively mild hurricane season up until now, though forecasters had warned that storm activity can easily pick up in October.
Elsewhere in weather, the Dakotas were under red flag warnings as high heat and low humidity make conditions ripe for wildfires. But only a few states away, and parts of Idaho and Washington were under freeze warnings.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) 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, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane late Thursday in Florida's Big Bend area, with maximum sustained winds of around 140 miles per hour. An estimated 4 million people were without power in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas and more than 100 people were left dead in its aftermath.
"We have deployed rescue teams, transportation crews, water, mobile kitchens and more," said North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper.
Weather forecasters had warned of severe erosion in parts of the Appalachian Mountain range. Cooper added that recovery would require a long-term effort after parts of North Carolina received as much as 32 inches of rain from the remnants of Helene. As of Saturday, Industrial Info had identified nearly 50 plants in North Carolina that were potentially impacted by the storm.
President Joe Biden had declared states of emergency for parts of the country impacted by Helene. Biden's office said on Sunday that more than 3,300 federal workers were deployed for the recovery efforts.
Elsewhere, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are moving generators into the Carolinas to help with power restoration.
"We have boots on the ground all across the state," said Keller Kissam, the president of the South Carolina arm of utility company Dominion Energy Incorporated (NYSE:D) (Richmond, Virginia). "Crews continue to assess damage even as we rebuild our system from the ground up in communities where the impacts were catastrophic."
By Sunday, at least 2.3 million people nation-wide were still without power from the storm.
The storm avoided Gulf Coast states such as Louisiana and Texas, leaving much of the inland energy sector spared. Some port terminals were closed in Florida, however, limiting the availability of refined petroleum products.
Florida has no refineries of its own.
Offshore and operators were quick to restore any production centers moved or closed down because of the storm. The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), an offshore energy regulator, issued its final notice on offshore activity on Sunday, reporting that only 3.3% of total Gulf oil production was shut in and nearly all of the gas production was back online. About half the production was shut in at the peak last week.
The Gulf of Mexico typically accounts for about 15% of total U.S. crude oil production, or 1.8 million BBL/d. Gas production is marginal relative to the amount coming from inland shale basins.
It had been a relatively mild hurricane season up until now, though forecasters had warned that storm activity can easily pick up in October.
Elsewhere in weather, the Dakotas were under red flag warnings as high heat and low humidity make conditions ripe for wildfires. But only a few states away, and parts of Idaho and Washington were under freeze warnings.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) 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, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
