Issue link: https://geospatial.trimble.com/en/resources/i/1415432
5 WORLD NEWS Spring 2019 5 USA | Dominion Energy to cut methane emissions D ominion Energy has announced an initiative to reduce methane emissions from its natural gas infrastructure by 50% over the next decade, based on 2010 levels. The initiative will prevent more than 430 000 t of methane from entering the atmosphere. This voluntary initiative builds on the progress Dominion Energy has made in reducing methane emissions over the last decade, which prevented more than 180 000 t of methane from entering the atmosphere. The company plans to reduce methane emissions across its entire system – from production and storage to transmission and distribution. UK | Essar Oil UK acquires BP's share of pipeline and storage assets T he Essar Oil UK Group of companies (Essar) has unveiled the latest phase of its strategic business development after announcing the acquisition of a number of assets from BP to further strengthen the company's logistics infrastructure network, which will fuel growth ambitions in the UK. This latest expansion of its UK interests means Essar has now invested nearly US$1 billion in building a profi table and sustainable UK business, since fi rst acquiring the Stanlow Manufacturing Complex in July 2011. Under the agreement, Essar will acquire an equity stake in the UKOP pipeline, a share of the contractual joint venture (with Shell) which runs the Kingsbury Terminal and a 100% interest in the Northampton Terminal. Over recent years, Essar has broadened its downstream integration. With 67 Essar-branded UK retail sites already operational across England and Wales, the company has confi rmed plans to grow its network to 400 retail sites over the next fi ve years. Mexico | Total agrees to be anchor customer T otal has signed an agreement with Tuxpan Port Terminal and Monterra Energy to become the anchor customer of the Tuxpan International Fluids Terminal (TIFT), a refi ned oil products terminal in Mexico. Total, through its subsidiary Total Atlantic Trading Mexico, will have the largest capacity in this terminal, strategically located on the shores of the State of Veracruz. With important storage capacity and better access to the Mexican market, Total will directly provide its high-quality refi ned products, mainly diesel and gasoline, to customers with improved continuity, reliability and competitiveness. This commitment also greatly enhances the capacity of the Group to supply the expanding retail network of Total-branded fuel stations in the country. Total has partnered with Gasored since October 2017 and has opened more than 100 service stations over the last year, in line with its initial planning. This network will reach 250 Total-branded service stations by the end of 2019, with the objective to reach more than 400 stations by the end of 2020. The Tuxpan Terminal is set to start operations in the second semester of 2020. USA | ExxonMobil and Qatar Petroleum to proceed with Golden Pass export project E xxonMobil and partner Qatar Petroleum have made a fi nal investment decision to proceed with development of the Golden Pass LNG export project located in Sabine Pass, Texas. Construction will begin in 1Q19 and the facility is expected to start up in 2024. The US$10+ billion liquefaction project will have capacity to produce around 16 million tpy of LNG. It is expected to create about 9000 jobs over the fi ve-year construction period and more than 200 permanent jobs during operations. Preliminary estimates by an independent study indicate the project could generate up to US$31 billion in US economic gains and more than US$4.6 billion in direct federal, state and local tax revenues over the life of the project. Golden Pass is part of ExxonMobil's plans to invest more than US$50 billion over the next fi ve years to build and expand manufacturing facilities in the US. This includes the Growing the Gulf initiative, which will create about 45 000 jobs in the US.