This photo essay is created in order to view the Texas and US build up of oil export capacity. The essay looks to show the impact of the shale gas boom both at home and abroad.
Provided by EIA (US Energy Information Administration) is a map of Texas Natural gas and Petroleum resources and plays. This image displays the current Texas Gulf Coast energy infrustructure. Shown as each point are Natural gas power plants, petroleum power plants, refineries and processing facilities, trading markets, and product terminals for import and export. Accourding to the EIA, "In 2020, Texas accounted for 43% of the nation's crude oil production and 26% of its marketed natural gas production." Texas is building out; oil and gas companies are attempting to stave off shut down as they increase capacity in ports and processing plants.
After the 2016 crude oil export ban was lifted, both production and export of oil grew. The increased export desire and open markets created opportunities to expand capacity in both ports, refineries, and extraction.
This is a map generated from Max Midstream Texas online profile. Max Midstream is working on the construction of the Nighthawk Lateral, Blackhawk pipeline and the 77 storage station that will hold 750,000 barrels of oil. The goal of the project is to expand the port's capacity and divert from oil and ship congestion in Huston and Corpus Christi, which are usually overcrowded. This diversion is slated to bring in jobs and business, as well as increase the speed of export from the Gulf Coast. Taking data from where Huston mainly exports, we can assume based on the goals of the project, that oil exported from Calhoun will also transport to the same regions that Huston transports oil. Based on the Houston Business Journal the main importers and partners with Houston are Mexico, Brazil, China, South Korea, and the Netherlands. A certain conclusion can be formulated that the expansion of the Port of Calhoun will also likely contribute to the export to these regions. The pipeline shown and the terminals were created to expand the export capacity of the Port of Calhoun. Projects like this one have occured along the Gulf Coast in light of expanding production and open global markets.
Darren Woods, chairman and Chief executive officer of Exxon Mobil Oil and Gas spoke, along with other oil executives on the future of oil in a CERAWeek conference in Huston during March of 2022. The theme, Pace of Change: Energy, Climate, and Innovation. Energy has exploded to the top of many news headlines due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the dramatic impact in the global supply chain and pricing of oil. New talks of energy independence, oil and gas market volitility, and US energy transitions have all risen to the top due to the geopolitical implications of the current world crisis. Accourding to a New York Times reporting on the conference, "Oil and gas producers who are not Russian are, as my colleague David Gelles put it, 'suddenly feeling very good about themselves.'" Many oil and gas companies have asked the United States government to increase permits and apporvals for oil drilling and expansion to compensate for the need, while others have argued that this is the perfect time to begin the US energy transition. Only time will tell where the United States and the world head next.