Energy Companies In New York Area Prepare For Hurricane Joaquin
Sept 30 (Reuters) - U.S. energy companies said on Wednesday they were preparing for the possibility that Hurricane Joaquin could hit the New York City area early next week, potentially following the destructive course of Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
Joaquin strengthened into a hurricane on Wednesday morning as it moves toward the Bahamas. Over the next few days, the U.S. National Hurricane Center predicted the storm would turn toward the U.S. East Coast and briefly strengthen into a Category 2 hurricane with winds reaching 110 miles per hour (95 kilometers per hour).
Although the track is still uncertain, the NHC said the storm could land anywhere from North Carolina to New York early next week with the center of the storm track pointing toward the New York metro area.
Hurricane Sandy, which killed over 70 people and caused over $50 billion in damage in the United States, followed a track similar to the one currently forecast for Joaquin, according to federal data.
In New York City, Consolidated Edison Inc said it was making sure people and equipment were prepared for the possibility Joaquin could hit the Big Apple.
"We have not entered into any sort of alert status but are making sure we have the people and equipment in the right spots," Con Edison spokesman Philip O'Brien said.
He said Hurricane Sandy was the worst storm in Con Edison's history. It left about a million of the company's more than three million customers without power in New York City and Westchester County north of the city - some in the hardest hit areas were in the dark for a couple weeks.
Con Edison is in the third year of a $2 billion four-year plan to "harden" its power infrastructure to withstand storms and flooding, O'Brien said.
That hardening included construction of a flood barrier to protect the East 14th Street power substation in Manhattan, which exploded when flooded by Sandy's storm surge.
Another energy company that has hardened its infrastructure since Hurricane Sandy is Kinder Morgan Inc, which has oil products and chemical facilities in New York and New Jersey.
"Our terminals business have all deployed their hurricane plan and set up their incident command structures as we continue to monitor the storm's projected path and movement," said Kinder Morgan spokesman Richard Wheatley.
The U.S. East Coast has nine refineries with an operable capacity of about 1.3 million barrels per day, according to government data.
(Reporting by Scott DiSavino and Robert Gibbons; Editing by Marguerita Choy)
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.
- Weatherford CEO's Rebound Plan Relies On Getting Smaller
- Iran Says Oil Market Is Too Tight For US Zero Exports Target
- China's Squeezed 'Teapots' Eye Petchem Path To Riches
- Baker Hughes: US Drillers Add Oil Rigs For Second Week In Three
- Venezuela Hands China More Oil Presence, But No Mention Of New Funds
- Falcon Oil Declares Commercial Flow Test Results for Shenandoah Well
- Japan Failing to Meet Corporate Demand for Clean Power: Amazon
- Macquarie Strategists Expect Brent Oil Price to Grind Higher
- UK Oil Regulator Publishes New Emissions Reduction Plan
- PetroChina Posts Higher Annual Profit on Higher Production
- McDermott Settles Reficar Dispute
- US, SKorea Launch Task Force to Stop Illicit Refined Oil Flows into NKorea
- Pennsylvania County Joins List of Local Govts Suing Big Oil over Climate
- Russian Navy Enters Warship-Crowded Red Sea Amid Houthi Attacks
- USA Commercial Crude Oil Inventories Increase
- New China Climate Chief Says Fossil Fuels Must Keep a Role
- Equinor Makes Discovery in North Sea
- Standard Chartered Reiterates $94 Brent Call
- India Halts Russia Oil Supplies From Sanctioned Tanker Giant
- DOI Announces Proposal for Second GOM Offshore Wind Auction
- Centcom, Dryad Outline Recent Moves Around Red Sea Region
- PetroChina Set to Receive Venezuelan Oil
- Czech Conglomerate to Buy Major Stake in Gasnet for $917MM
- US DOE Offers $44MM in Funding to Boost Clean Power Distribution
- Oil Settles Lower as Stronger Dollar Offsets Tighter Market
- Chinese Mega Company Makes Major Oilfield Discovery
- VIDEO: Missile Attack Kills Crew Transiting Gulf of Aden
- Norway Regulator Blasts Proposal to Halt New Oil and Gas Permits
- Chinese Mega Company Makes Another Major Oilfield Discovery
- What Is the Biggest Risk to Offshore Oil and Gas Personnel in 2024?
- New China Climate Chief Says Fossil Fuels Must Keep a Role
- Vessel Sinks in Red Sea After Missile Strike
- Exxon Rights in Stabroek Do Not Apply to Hess Merger with Chevron: Hess
- Analysts Reveal Latest Oil Price Outlook Following OPEC+ Cut Extension
- Equinor Makes Discovery in North Sea