Ida’s toll on the energy sector is significant, it knocked out more oil than hurricane Katrina days before landing as Category 4 storm on Sunday, in Louisiana; it left 96% of U.S. Gulf of Mexico oil production and 94% of its natural gas production suspended as of Sunday, leaving more than 1.3 million homes and businesses in Louisiana, Mississippi and New Orleans without power.
According to Reuters, citing statements from the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, after operators evacuated platforms and shut activity ahead of the storm, refineries along the Gulf Coast also cut or halted operations.
The company Energy Transfer said it was already conducting assessments at its Stingray Pipeline and Sea Robin assets; which bring gas from the U.S. Gulf of Mexico to hubs in Louisiana. The company said in a notice to shippers: “Stingray will not be accepting nominations from any location; operators require to remain shut in until Stingray has given clearance of our flow.”
On the other hand, Colonial Pipeline, the largest U.S. pipeline network, stopped motor fuel deliveries from Houston to Greensboro, North Carolina. A spokesperson said it is unclear when operations will resume.
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Ida’s toll on electricity: New Orleans without power, transmission line collapsed
Enbridge, on its side of the corner, said it was mobilizing crews to assess damages nearby its facilities. Pipelines of the company were not operating due to the offshore halt. Spokesperson said “Production remains shut in to our offshore facilities; our onshore assets are operating.”
Specifically in upstream, Ida’s toll is 1.74 million barrels of oil output lost as of Sunday; which is an amount already greater than Mexico’s daily oil production. Natural gas also suffered of a 2 billion cubic feet loss, according to a government tally.
Moreover, on the downstream sector, six refineries that process up to 1,92 million barrels of oil per day; as well as gasoline and petroleum subproducts are either shut or with curtailed production; according to Reuter’s sources. Refineries’ owners include Valero Energy, with its plants in Louisiana that combined process 335,000 barrels per day; and Phillips 66’s 255,000 bpd plant in Alliance, Louisiana.
Finally, the electricity sector it’s also on the toll, with a transmission tower that provides power to eight southeast Louisiana parishes; which are home to refinery operators, collapsed into the Mississippi River at the height of the storm. It will take weeks to remove the tower; which will also increase traffic on the nation’s larger commercial waterway, a regional emergency management director said. New Orleans lost all power as of Monday.
