Ice Storm Trips Power, Paralyzes Key U.S. Oil Hub

[Purveyor]

Source: Reuters

NEW YORK, Dec 11 (Reuters) - A deadly ice storm in the U.S. heartland triggered power outages that paralyzed parts of the most important U.S. oil hub, threatening supplies to the region's oil refineries.

The storm knocked out power to more than 800,000 in the U.S. Central plains and forced Enbridge (EEP.N: Quote, Profile, Research) to shut its 16.7 million barrel oil terminal at Cushing, Oklahoma, the delivery point of the New York Mercantile Exchange crude contract.

"Until we get power we cannot move the oil. There is some damage to our own distribution infrastructure, but right now it mainly depends on how quickly Oklahoma Gas and Electric can restore power to the area," said Enbridge spokesman Larry Springer.

TEPPCO Partners LP said it had closed its 4.5 million barrel Cushing storage terminal and cut throughput at the 350,000 barrels per day Seaway pipeline, which runs crude from the Gulf Coast to the NYMEX hub.

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"We hear that Cushing is pretty well shut-down," said Tom Hunter, general manager for the National Cooperative Refinery Association, adding that an outage of a week or more from the Osage line would force them to cut rates at its McPherson, Kansas refinery.

Read more: http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKN1150170920071211

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Crude has jumped $2.00 on this news...

[donsu]

1. kick

nt

[xxqqqzme]

2. This storm must have been a whopper.

My son was flying back to CA from Missouri yesterday. They finally got in aout 8:30 last night. Their flight was delayed most of the day because of this storm. That's what the airline told him anyway.

[KamaAina]

3. (gulp) Enbridge is the same company that just had a pipeline explosion in Minnesota

guess what they were counting on to replace the Canadian crude they can't move through that pipeline. Yep, gotta be Cushing. Hoo boy. :scared:

[Sabriel]

4. Any excuse to raise prices, I guess

What's the next one...too many pipeline workers down with whooping cough?

Give me a break.

[nealmhughes]

5. Meanwhile on the Tennessee River we are in shorts today. Sunny and 80F.

But God knows we have had some terrible ice storms in the past, powerlines down for over a week in some cases. That meant no water from wells unless one had an old windlass and bucket contraption. A major ice storm will shut down everything. It may take days for people to get home. Telephone lines will be down, along with powerlines. The roads will be clogged with wrecks.

[mihalevich]

6. You can think of a major ice storm

being about as destructive as a cat. 3 hurricane with subfreezing temperatures. Last year here in Missouri we had hundreds of people die from a major ice storm.

[rainbow4321]

7. Yep...OK officials are comparing it to a Cat 5 that covered the entire state.

Trees/power lines covering the streets. People losing entire freezer/fridges full of food since they've been out of electricity for an extended period of time. Temps are warming up enough during the day that leaving food outside "in the cold" isn't an option anymore. Losing food at home and not having anywhere OPEN to get more food is not a pretty picture.

My family up there have heard it may be Xmas before they get their electric back on and the odds of schools re-opening before winter break are slim to none. Every tree in their city is leveled. One lady there said "our horizon is gone" with such huge nature landmarks just flattened. Still hour long lines for gas. Now it is flooding with daytime temps rising but it's still dropping to the 20's at night.
Hotels (the few that are open) are charging locals full price to rent a room so anyone looking to head there for heat/food will be getting charged $100/night (at least they are in Owasso, OK, anyway.) IMHO, the least that they could do is ask for proof of residency and give them half off or something. Write it off as HELPING the communities that keep them in business!

Last I talked to my sis, she and her kids were riding around town to see what (few) churches are available for shelter tonight as the temps are dropping to the 20's again.

[superconnected]

8. Should have guessed.