Christopher E. Smith
Verified
Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Christopher E. Smith
Insights: What agentic AI means for the future of oil and gas operations Original
398858554 © Prakitta Lapphatthranan | Dreamstime.com Artificial intelligence agents on laptop screen, Artificial intelligence is moving beyond copilots and generative tools toward systems that can plan, coordinate workflows, and take action with varying degrees of human supervision. For oil and gas, that shift could have significant implications for how operations are managed.
Kinder Morgan takes FID on Southeast Connector, Permian Link natural gas pipelines
Kinder Morgan takes FID on Southeast Connector, Permian Link natural gas pipelines The two pipelines would add a total of 5.4 bcfd of capacity starting second-half 2030. KMI's Q3 2026 net income grew nearly 22% year-on-year. Map from Kinder Morgan Inc., October 2026 investor presentation. Kinder Morgan US infrastructure portfolio Kinder Morgan Inc. (KMI) has taken final investment decision (FID) on its Southeast Connector and Permian Link natural gas pipeline projects.
Adura gets NSTA consent to develop Jackdaw North Sea gas field
Adura gets NSTA consent to develop Jackdaw North Sea gas field The new approval clears the way for Jackdaw to start supplying gas to British homes, power stations, and businesses within weeks, according to Adura, substantially all of the project’s physical infrastructure already having been completed. High-pressure, high-temperature offshore gas-condensate wellhead platform in the UK Central North Sea. The UK government has approved Jackdaw gas field.
LNG Canada awards Coastal GasLink Phase 2 EPCM contract to Técnicas Reunidas
LNG Canada awards Coastal GasLink Phase 2 EPCM contract to Técnicas Reunidas The project includes five additional compressor stations, as well as modifications to both existing and planned infrastructure along the pipeline’s existing 670-km route from Dawson Creek to the LNG plant in Kitimat, BC. It is designed to double the pipeline’s 2.1-bcfd capacity.
Texas Eastern launches open season for 2-bcfd Katy to Gillis Expansion Project
Texas Eastern launches open season for 2-bcfd Katy to Gillis Expansion Project Texas Eastern parent company Enbridge Inc. expects the project to enhance access to LNG plants, industrial customers, electric generation markets, and pipeline interconnections along the US Gulf Coast. A top view of a map showing the Texas-Louisiana coastline illustrating a proposed route of Enbridge subsidiary Texas Eastern’s proposed Katy, Tex., to Gillis, La., pipeline expansion project.
DNV: Energy-importing countries scaling clean energy 3x faster than exporters
OGJ: Energy security is becoming a major driver of the energy transition. The DNV outlook found that energy-importing countries are scaling clean energy three times faster than energy-exporting countries. From the perspective of an oil and gas operator, what is the most important implication of that divergence? Alvik: I think it's important to realize that the customers of the oil and gas business are, longer term, trying to avoid being dependent on that commodity.
AI Where the Work Already Happens: Scaling Subsurface Analytics Without Building From Scratch
Most subsurface AI initiatives stall in the same place: a promising prototype that never makes it into production. A data scientist builds something impressive in a notebook, the demo goes well, and then the project quietly dies. It can’t connect to the systems where logs, tops, surveys, and production data actually live, and the geoscientists and engineers who would use it every day were never part of the equation.
QatarEnergy NFE LNG Train 1 to start 1H 2027; Ras Laffan repairs to take 3 years
QatarEnergy NFE LNG Train 1 to start 1H 2027; Ras Laffan repairs to take 3 years The NFE and NFS projects are part of the overall North Field expansion program that also includes the North Field West project, which together will raise Qatar’s LNG production capacity to 142 million tpy from the current 77 million tpy. Tanker containing first shipment from the Golden Pass LNG project is guided by tug vessels through a canal waterway out to open sea.
Wolf Midstream takes FID on NGL North Phase III expansion
Wolf Midstream takes FID on NGL North Phase III expansion Wolf has secured all required permits and approvals and has begun Phase III development concurrent with Phase II. Under Phase III, Wolf is adding a third NGL recovery train at each of its two northern Alberta recovery sites: Wolf Recovery Facility 1, near Mariana Lake., and WRF 2, northwest of Fort McMurray. Wolf Midstream has taken final investment decision on the 600-MMcfd Phase III expansion of its NGL North System.
ExxonMobil advances Gulf Coast CCS network with Rose approval, Nucor startup
ExxonMobil Corp. has received Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) approval for its 5-million tonne/year (tpy) Rose carbon capture and storage (CCS) project in Jefferson County, Tex. The company also began CCS operations at Nucor Corp.’s direct reduced iron (DRI) plant in Convent, La. The RRC approved ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions Onshore Storage LLC’s Class VI underground injection control permit for Rose in a 2-1 vote. The permit covers three CO2 injection wells over a 13-year injection period.
Saudi pipeline shutdown threatens further global oil supply losses
Saudi pipeline shutdown threatens further global oil supply losses The drone attacks on a Saudi Arabia pipeline have resulted in a temporary but potentially prolonged shutdown, threatening to remove up to 4% of global oil supply. Repair estimates vary, adding uncertainty to the timeline for resumption. 446875720 © Zelwanka | Dreamstime.com Strait of Hormuz, Suez Canal, and Red Sea Saudi Arabia has shut its 1,200-km (745-mile) East-West pipeline following Sept. 11, 2026, drone attacks.
The Business: Reintroducing Bishopric Industries
6a85c9a5846006f94b1a67fc Bish Buildingvessel In July, Enerfab Process Solutions announced it would be rebranding as Bishopric Industries, representing the next chapter of their company's 125+ year legacy of engineering, fabrication, and industrial craftsmanship. Dan Creech, executive vice president and general manager, Bishopric Industries. Dan Creech, executive vice president and general manager, Bishopric Industries.
Cap Lopez LNG project in Gabon moves closer to completion
Perenco-sister company Dixstone Lower Gulf FZCO is converting the 141,000-cu m LNG carrier Bayelsa into a floating storage unit (FSU) for use at the company’s Gabon liquefaction project. The vessel, temporarily dubbed FSU LNG Cap Lopez, is being converted at Drydocks World Dubai, with Lloyd’s Register providing classification and technical assurance.
Santos targets Q4 2026 FID for Papua LNG plant
Santos targets Q4 2026 FID for Papua LNG plant Papua LNG would use 4 million tpy of production from new electric liquefaction trains and as much as 2 million tpy of tolling production from ExxonMobil.’s already operating 8-million tpy PNG LNG plant. Santos Ltd. August 2026 investor presentation Santos is targeting FID on its Papua LNG project in this year's second half. Environmental permits have been issued.
Golar contracts CIMC Raffles for fourth FLNG
Golar LNG Ltd. last week executed an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract with Yantai CIMC Raffles Offshore Ltd. (CIMC Raffles) for its fourth floating LNG (FLNG) and second MKII design FLNG vessel with an annual liquefaction capacity of 3.5 million tonnes/year (tpy). Golar’s fourth FLNG is expected to be delivered from the shipyard by end 2029. A donor vessel for the conversion project has been secured.
Devon takes FID on 4.5-bcfd Permian pipeline
Devon takes FID on 4.5-bcfd Permian pipeline The Solitude Pipeline System is designed for a phased build-out of 2.25 bcfd entering service second-half 2029, followed by a similarly sized second phase in 2030 and the ability to expand further to meet shipper demand. 25158213 © Jan Zahradka | Dreamstime.com Devon has advanced plans to develop the Solitude Pipeline System comprised of two 48-in. OD natural gas pipelines connecting the Permian basin to Katy, Tex.
Iraq at the crossroads: Export routes, OPEC, and the future of Middle East oil
Drawing on two recent Oil & Gas Journal commentaries, this Insights episode of the Oil & Gas Journal ReEnterprised podcast explores why Iraq is once again pursuing alternative pipeline routes through Syria and Türkiye, how expanded export options could strengthen the country's economic resilience, and why these developments matter not only for Iraq, but for global energy markets.
Petrobras contractor selects Vallourec to supply Atapu 2 risers
Petrobras contractor selects Vallourec to supply Atapu 2 risers The Unitized ATAPU consortium, operated by Petrobras, intends to develop a portion of Atapu field in Santos basin about 230 km off the coast of Rio de Janeiro in 2,000-2,350 m water depths.
FERC approves Southgate Amendment construction
Mountain Valley Pipeline has received US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approval to begin construction of its 550-MMcfd Southgate Amendment Project in North Carolina. Southgate’s length was reduced to 31.3 miles from 75 as part of the amendments, and its OD increased to 30 in. FERC approved amendments to the original Southgate Extension project in late 2025. The denial of subsequent legal challenges allowed construction to begin.
Venture Global expands LNG sales agreement with EnBW
Venture Global Inc. last week agreed to sell EnBW an additional 0.82 million tonnes/year (tpy) of LNG for 5 years starting in 2026. The deal adds to the existing 20-year sales and purchase agreements between Venture Global and EnBW for 2 million tpy. “As one of Germany’s top LNG suppliers, Venture Global is proud to strengthen our partnership with EnBW and support the region’s energy security with a reliable supply of LNG,” said Venture Global chief executive officer Mike Sabel.
Chevron to build gas-fired West Texas power plant, supply Microsoft
Chevron Corp. wholly owned subsidiary Energy Forge One LLC has agreed to develop a collocated 2.67-Gw power plant for Microsoft Corp. in West Texas that will provide dedicated electricity to a Microsoft-operated data center under a 20-year power purchase agreement. Chevron and US-based investment firm Engine No. 1 have been collaborating on the development, known as Project Kilby, which Chevron describes as among the largest collocated natural gas power and data-center developments in the US.
Zululand Energy Terminal invites EPC expressions of interest
The proposed 7.5-million tonne/year (tpy) Zululand Energy Terminal (ZET) at the Port of Richards Bay, South Africa, has invited expressions of interest (EOI) from engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors for development of planned LNG regasification infrastructure. Imported natural gas is expected to supply both industry and power generation. Phase 1 of the project will use a 170,000-cu m floating storage unit attached to 3 million tpy of onshore regasification capacity.
Insights: PETEX and in-person petroleum learning in the age of AI
In this Insights episode of the Oil & Gas Journal ReEnterprised podcast, Head of Content Chris Smith talks with Woodrow Winchester III, manager of University of Texas at Austin’s Cockrell School of Engineering Petroleum Extension (PETEX). PETEX is a continuing education program for oil and gas professionals across the industry’s upstream, midstream, downstream, and health, safety & environment (HSE) segments.
Permian gas-pipeline debottlenecking advancing at full speed
Permian basin associated natural gas production continues to outpace takeaway capacity, with regional gas oversupply forcing Waha hub prices into negative territory for 118 of the first 131 days of 2026. Projects including the WhiteWater-led Blackcomb and Energy Transfer’s Hugh Brinson pipelines, are expected to add more than 5.25 bcfd of capacity by late 2026. In the meantime, however, upstream operators are adapting commercial strategies to existing constraints.
OTC 2026: Clarkson forecasts 24% decline in offshore oil, gas capex
Clarkson Research Services Ltd. expects $85 billion in global capital expenditures (capex) on offshore oil and gas projects in 2026, down 24% from $111.9 billion in 2025 final investment decisions. About $34 billion have already been committed in 2026, according to Clarkson analysis released in advance of the 2026 Offshore Technology Conference in Houston. The forecast total would be the smallest offshore capex since 2020.
TC Energy expanding Columbia Gas system with 800-MMcfd Appalachia Supply project
TC Energy expanding Columbia Gas system with 800-MMcfd Appalachia Supply project The US$1.5-billion project is designed to supply new natural gas-fired power generation using additional Marcellus shale production and has a 2030 anticipated in-service date. Key Highlights Supported by a 20-year take-or-pay contract, the project can be expanded to 2 bcfd with minor modifications. TC Energy anticipates US gas demand in the project area to grow by about 4 bcfd through 2035.
NextDecade awards Honeywell liquefaction contract for Rio Grande LNG Trains 4-5
NextDecade awards Honeywell liquefaction contract for Rio Grande LNG Trains 4-5 NextDecade will use Honeywell’s high-efficiency coil wound heat exchanger equipment and C3MR process technology. Honeywell’s LNG technology is also being used for the plant’s first three liquefaction trains.
Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline, Manifa field return to full capacities
Saudi Arabia has returned its 7-million b/d East-West crude oil pipeline to full pumping capacity. The pipeline runs 746 miles across Saudi Arabia, from Abqaiq oil field near the Persian Gulf to Yanbu on the Red Sea. Volumes had been reduced by 700,000 b/d following attacks earlier in the Iran war. The country’s Ministry of Energy also reported restoring 300,000 b/d of production lost at shallow-water Manifa field, offshore al-Jubail in the Gulf.
Commonwealth LNG reaches additional offtake agreements with Glencore, EQT
On Mar. 26, 2026, Commonwealth LNG LLC agreed to sell Glencore Ltd. an additional 1 million tonnes/year (tpy) of LNG for a term of 20 years from its planned 9.5-million tpy plant in Cameron Parish, La. The two companies had reached a 2-million tpy, 20-year agreement in March 2025. Commonwealth also amended its existing agreement with EQT LNG Trading Inc. to increase it to 2 million tpy from 1 million tpy in the wake of an earlier 1-million tpy agreement with JERA Co. Inc.
Cairn plans $4 billion in upstream investment, pursuing 1-million b/d of Indian production
Cairn Oil & Gas (Vedanta Ltd.), India’s largest private oil and gas producer, plans to invest $4 billion in onshore recovery enhancement and offshore exploration and development to increase hydrocarbons recovery from Indian basins. Cairn’s growth plans include: Deepwater exploration and development in Krishna Godavari (KG) basin off the country’s eastern coast. Shallow-water offshore projects on its western coast, where Cairn recently discovered hydrocarbons at its Ambe-2A appraisal well.
NextDecade contractor Bechtel awards ABB more Rio Grande LNG automation work
NextDecade Corp. contractor Bechtel Corp. has awarded ABB Ltd. additional integrated automation and electrical solution orders, extending its scope to Trains 4 and 5 of NextDecade’s 30-million tonne/year (tpy) Rio Grande LNG (RGLNG) plant in Brownsville, Tex. The orders were booked in third- and fourth-quarters 2025 and build on ABB’s Phase 1 work with Trains 1-3, totaling 17 million tpy.
CERAWeek: ADNOC CEO describes Strait of Hormuz closure as “economic terrorism”
CERAWeek: ADNOC CEO describes Strait of Hormuz closure as “economic terrorism” At CERAWeek, His Excellency Dr. Sultan Al Jaber noted the importance of maintaining open maritime routes for energy security. Photo from CERAWeek by S&P Global Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, Managing Director and Group CEO, ADNOC, speaks to an audience at CERAWeek by S&P Global in Houston, Tex., Mar. 23, 2026.
The Iran war: Regional geopolitics, oil, and natural gas
In this bonus episode of the Oil & Gas Journal ReEnterprised podcast, Head of Content Chris Smith is joined by Jim Krane, the Diana Tamari Sabbagh Fellow in Middle East Energy Studies and Center for Energy Studies Lead for Energy and Geopolitics in the Middle East at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. The two discuss the regional political forces shaping the Iran war so far, exactly how vulnerable the Strait of Hormuz is, and—shifting inland—what’s in it for the Kurds.
Energinet awards Worley EPCM contract for Danish Hydrogen Backbone pipeline
Energinet Brint AS awarded Worley Ltd. a 5-year engineering, procurement, and construction management (EPCM) contract to support Phase 1 of the Danish Hydrogen Backbone pipeline. Danish Hydrogen Backbone 1 (DHB1) will establish a national hydrogen transmission network for Denmark, linking large-scale green hydrogen production from wind and solar to Germany and wider European markets.
Insights: Venezuela - new legal frameworks vs. the inertia of history
In this Insights episode of the Oil & Gas Journal ReEnterprised podcast, Head of Content Chris Smith updates the evolving situation in Venezuela as the industry attempts to navigate the best path forward while the two governments continue to hammer out the details. The discussion centers on the new legal frameworks being established in both countries within the context of fraught relations stretching back for decades. Want to hear more?
Insights: Looking at 2026 through the lens of ADIPEC
In this Insights episode of the Oil & Gas Journal ReEnterprised podcast, Head of Content Chris Smith talks with Bob Crossen, Vice-President of Content Strategy for the Water and Energy Groups of Endeavor Business Media, about the latter’s first trip to the world’s largest oil and gas trade show: Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition & Conference (ADIPEC).
In this Insights episode of the Oil & Gas Journal ReEnterprised podcast, Oil & Gas Journal Head of Content, Chris Smith, talks about the issues shaping what happens next in Venezuela now that Nicholas Maduro has been removed from power. An oversupplied crude market, deep infrastructural needs, and in-country political uncertainty are only a few of the problems to be addressed. But there are also opportunities, particularly if progress can begin quickly.
Commonwealth LNG tabs Baker Hughes for liquefaction
Commonwealth LNG contractor Technip Industries NV granted Baker Hughes Inc. full notice to proceed to supply primary liquefaction equipment for Commonwealth’s 9.5-million tonne/year (tpy) liquefaction plant in Cameron Parish, La. The award includes six refrigerant turbo compressors comprising LM9000 aeroderivative gas turbines paired with BCL1407 centrifugal compressors. Caturus Energy LLC, formed by Kimmeridge to combine its upstream and downstream interests, owns Commonwealth LNG.
QatarEnergy awards Saipem latest North Field EPCI contract
QatarEnergy LNG has awarded Saipem, in partnership with Offshore Oil Engineering Co. Ltd., an engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) contract for the COMP5 package of the North Field Production Sustainability (NFPS) offshore compression complexes project. Offshore installation will be carried out 2029-30 by Saipem's De He construction vessel.
Mountain Valley gets FERC approval of Southgate amendments
Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC has received US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approval of amendments to its Southgate natural gas pipeline project, increasing capacity to 550 MMcfd from 375 MMcfd. Among other changes, Southgate’s length was reduced to 31.3 miles from 75 miles and its OD increased to 30 in. Mountain Valley’s mainline moves 2 bcfd of gas from Wetzel County, W.
Energy Transfer suspends Lake Charles LNG
Energy Transfer LP is suspending development of its 16.45 million tonne/year (tpy) Lake Charles LNG plant to focus on allocating capital to its backlog of natural gas pipeline projects that the company believes provides superior risk-return profiles. Among these projects is subsidiary Transwestern Pipeline Co. LLC’s planned Desert Southwest expansion.
Insights: What’s next for Permian basin electrification?
This Insights episode of the Oil & Gas Journal ReEnterprised podcast examines the rapidly growing power demands in the Permian basin region and the implications for operators, utilities, and adjacent industries.
ADIPEC 2025: ADNOC selects ABB for Ruwais LNG ECM system
Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (ADNOC) has selected ABB to provide automation, electrical, and digital solutions for its 9.6-million tonne/year (tpy) Ruwais LNG plant, 230 km west of Abu Dhabi in the UAE. Ruwais will be the region’s first all-electric LNG plant, using electric-driven motors instead of conventional gas turbines.
Coterra’s net income surges, Kimmeridge calls for leadership change
Coterra Energy Inc. yesterday reported third-quarter 2025 net income of $322 million up sharply from $252 million from the year-earlier quarter. Year-to-date net income was nearly $1.35 billion, a 64% increase from the first 9 months of 2024. For third-quarter 2025, total barrels of oil equivalent (boe), natural gas production, and oil production were all near the high-end of the company’s guidance ranges, beating their respective mid-points by roughly 2.5%.
Ontario awards contract to study East-West pipeline corridor
The Ontario government last week awarded a contract to complete a feasibility study to establish a new Canadian East-West pipeline and energy corridor. The study “will explore the benefits of building new pipelines with Canadian steel” to carry Western Canadian oil and natural gas from Alberta and Saskatchewan to refineries in southern Ontario and potentially to proposed ports on James Bay, Hudson Bay, and the Great Lakes.
Beacon’s Shenandoah offshore field reaches 100,000-b/d production target
Beacon Offshore Energy LLC has successfully completed ramp-up of the four Phase 1 development wells in its operated Shenandoah field to the target rate of 100,000 b/d (117,000 boe/d). Well productivity as well as reliability and uptime metrics of the Shenandoah floating production system (FPS) have conformed to expectations, Beacon said, and the ramp up to target rate was accomplished within 75 days following first production.
bp wins arbitration dispute against Venture Global LNG
bp Gas Marketing Ltd. has won its arbitration case against Venture Global LNG Inc. related to offtake from the latter’s 10-million tonne/year Calcasieu Pass LNG plant. The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Court of Arbitration informed Venture Global Oct. 8, 2025, that a partial final award had been issued regarding sales from the plant under the long-term LNG sales agreement between the two companies.
Chevron to sell more than 500,000 b/d of DJ basin crude gathering
Chevron Corp. plans to sell a number of pipeline assets in Denver-Julesburg (DJ) basin, according to reporting by Reuters. The oil major got the bulk of the pipeline assets as part of its 2020 acquisition of Noble Energy. At the time of acquisition, Noble’s DJ crude oil pipeline assets included the 50,000-b/d Wells Ranch gathering system, which could deliver to Platteville, Colo., via a capacity agreement using the Wattenberg Oil Trunkline (WOT). Wells Ranch assets also had 96,000 bbl of storage.
Show More
loading
Actions
Get in touch with Christopher E.
Contact Christopher E., search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack