Message-ID: <9756567.1075862130466.JavaMail.evans@thyme> Date: Sun, 18 Nov 2001 12:14:04 -0800 (PST) From: gasnews@mail.energycentral.com To: d..thomas@enron.com Subject: Daily Gas News - 11/19/01 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ANSI_X3.4-1968 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-From: "gasnews@mail.energycentral.com" X-To: Thomas, Paul D. X-cc: X-bcc: X-Folder: \PTHOMAS2 (Non-Privileged)\Thomas, Paul D.\Deleted Items X-Origin: Thomas-P X-FileName: PTHOMAS2 (Non-Privileged).pst OpenLink Financial =09 [IMAGE]=09 [IMAGE] =09 HOME | GAS NEWS | EVENTS | JOBS | BUSINESS CENTERS | DIRECTORIES= | DATA CENTER MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2001 =09 =09 THIS ISSUE BROUGHT TO YOU BY Competitive Intelligence now avai= lable. Identify potential suitors, those who threaten your position across = the value chain or those who demonstrate best practices with Company Profil= e Reports from Datamonitor. These reports are the definitive intelligence r= esource on 106 top companies in the energy industry. Reports include: speci= fic business background, history, locations and subsidiaries, products, ser= vices and key employees. View the list of Datamonitor's Company Profiles. h= ttp://www.energycentral.com/sections/research/default.cfm?cpane=3D23003&rpu= blisher=3D11408&rtype=3Dall TOP STORIES More downside seen ahea= d for U.S. gas prices By Joseph Silha, NEW YORK, Nov. 16 (Reuters) U.S. na= tural gas prices extended a steep, year-long downhill dive this week, hit h= ard by sagging demand and bulging supplies that not even the approach of wi= nter is likely to halt, industry analysts say. FERC meets on LNG plant = restart security WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 (Reuters) - Federal energy market reg= ulators met on Friday with state and local officials to discuss national se= curity concerns connected with restarting a liquefied natural gas plant nea= r the Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant in southern Maryland. Indigent= Gas Fund Plan in Georgia Faces Money Woes By Matthew C. Quinn, The Atlant= a Journal-Constitution, Nov. 16 Gov. Roy Barnes' proposal to erect a safety= net for tens of thousands of consumers who can't pay their natural gas bil= ls landed at the Public Service Commission Thursday like a pricey restauran= t check. Missouri Gas Energy Sues over New State Rules on Customer Reco= nnection By Steve Everly, The Kansas City Star, Mo., Nov. 17 Missouri Gas = Energy has sued to stop state regulators from relaxing rules that allow con= sumers who haven't paid their gas bill to be reconnected. Energy Secur= ity Terror fears could force U.S. gas offshore-experts LONDON, Nov 16= (Reuters) - Fears that terrorists could use gas tankers as floating missil= es against U.S. cities, just as they did with airliners on September 11, co= uld force the United States to move its gas import terminals offshore. = Mergers, Acquisitions & Divestitures Trade, bank buyers circle Enron'= s Wessex Water-reports LONDON, Nov 17 (Reuters) Both financial and trade b= uyers are considering bids for Wessex Water, the UK utility owned by crisis= -hit U.S. energy group Enron, weekend press reports said. E.ON gets Ge= rman govt backing on taking majority interest in Ruhrgas - report FRANKFU= RT, Nov 16, 2001 (AFX-Europe via COMTEX) -- E.ON AG can count on extensive = German government support for its aim to acquire the majority shareholding = in Ruhrgas AG, Berliner Zeitung newspaper said, citing sources. AD= VERTISEMENT Gain the competitive intelligence you need to make informed = business decisions. Energy Central's Operating Plant Experience Code (OPEC)= is a must for all aspects of analyzing nuclear power plant performance. Id= entify causes of poor performance, compare lost generation trends, and set = performance criteria! Free trial - visit http://www.energycentral.com/secti= ons/databases/OPEC Gas Pricing/Hubs U.S. spot gas prices dive= 15 pct, pressured by temps SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 16 (Reuters) U.S. spot natu= ral gas prices were pummeled again Friday as a lack of strong and sustainab= le heating demand in many parts of the nation sent weekend quotes skidding,= market sources said. Canadian spot natgas plummets again on warm weat= her NEW YORK, Nov 16 (Reuters) Spot natural gas prices in Canada plummeted= Friday, dropping for the seventh day in a row on continued warm weather, l= imited demand, and packed storage, industry sources said. NYMEX Hub ga= s ends up on pre-weekend short covering NEW YORK, Nov 16 (Reuters) NYMEX H= ub gas mostly ended higher Friday despite a sinking cash and mild weekend f= orecasts, lifted by some short covering ahead of the weekend, industry sour= ces said. Natural Gas Cash Crashes on Low Demand, Oversupply of Gas N= ov. 16 (Btu's Daily Gas Wire) The natural gas spot market plunged by 30 to = 40 cents throughout much of the country as rather low weekend demand, combi= ned with mild weather throughout much of the U.S. and Canada and ample gas = supplies sent weekend deals spiraling lower, said traders. Special Offer fr= om this Publisher! Drilling/Exploration Supreme Court Deals Setb= ack to Energy-Drilling Plan in Montana By Bill McAllister, The Denver Post= , Nov. 15 The U.S. Supreme Court dealt the Bush administration a setback in= its plan to open more public lands in the Rocky Mountain West to oil and g= as exploration. Futures Natural gas weaker as long liquidation co= ntinues to weigh; weak fundamentals Nov 16, 2001 (TradeSignals via COMTEX= ) -- Natural gas futures extended downside negativity in Thursday's session= as long liquidation continues to weigh on trade. Nymex Natural Gas Re= view: Lifted by Technical Bounce Nov 16, 2001 - FWN Financial News Natural= gas futures finished higher today, getting a lift on a technical bounce an= d perhaps also continuing to react some to activity taking place in the pet= roleum energy futures, sources said. LNG For National Security Re= asons, FERC Considers Revising Cove Point LNG LP's Authority Regarding LNG = Operations Nov. 19 (Btu Watch) Earlier this year, Cove Point LNG Limited P= artnership (Cove Point) requested permission to provide LNG tanker services= on a firm and interruptible basis and under proposed new Rate Schedules LT= D-1 and LTD-2 to BP Energy Company, Shell NA LNG, Inc., and El Paso Merchan= t Energy, L.P. Special Offer from this Publisher! Pipelines Ener= gy firms re-group on Alaska natgas pipeline WASHINGTON, Nov 15 (Reuters) -= Major gas transmission companies have agreed to reconstitute a partnership= to carry natural gas from Alaska to markets in Canada and the lower 48 U.S= . states, Alaskan Sen. Frank Murkowski announced on Thursday. NEW AUST= RALIAN PIPELINE SET TO DELIVER GAS IN LATE 2003 PERTH, Nov 16, 2001 (Asia= Pulse via COMTEX) -- Origin Energy managing director Grant King said today = that Australia's SEA gas pipeline between Victoria and Adelaide was on time= and on budget, and would deliver gas in late 2003. EU study of Caspia= n area oil, gas pipelines compares routes, costs Nov 17 - Oil & Gas Journa= l Under auspices of the European Union, two studies of pipeline transportat= ion out of Caspian Sea producing areas have concluded that such systems are= technically, economically, and environmentally feasible but depend critica= lly on route selection. Comprehensive Rules Unlikely for Rural Pipelin= es Nov 18, 2001 - Cox News Service Dennis Holubec raises cotton and cows o= n 3,500 acres in the West Texas oil patch. Drought and low commodity prices= have forced him to shave costs, so he's been installing underground pipes = and hoses that deliver irrigation water to the roots of cotton plants, elim= inating evaporation losses from traditional sprinkling. Rates For m= ore information on rate tariffs visit Gas Rate Tariffs [IMAGE] New Jer= sey Natural Gas Expects 12-Percent Decrease in Rate for Customers By David= P. Willis, Asbury Park Press, N.J., Nov. 16 New Jersey Natural Gas Co. cus= tomers will see rates drop 12 percent by Jan. 1 as the company takes advant= age of a drop in wholesale natural gas prices, a spokeswoman said yesterday= . Lexington Reduces Its Gas Rates Again; The Reduction Could Mean A $1= 0 Saving In December's Bills. Nov 15 - Greensboro News Record The City Cou= ncil has lowered its natural gas rate, which will mean homeowners will be p= aying less to heat their houses this month. Rigs Baker Hughes-U.S= . rig count down 17, Canada down 2 NEW YORK, Nov 16 (Reuters) The number o= f rigs searching for oil and gas in the United States fell by 17 to 993 dur= ing the week ending Nov. 16, according to oil services firm Baker Hughes. = General Energy Price Drop of 6.3 Percent in October Affects Other = Parts of Economy By L.M. Sixel, Houston Chronicle, Nov. 17 Energy prices f= ell 6.3 percent during October, the biggest drop in 15 years, which pushed = overall consumer prices down 0.3 of a percentage point, the U.S. Bureau of = Labor Statistics reported Friday. Energy plug: The majors' shift to na= tural gas Nov 15 - Monthly Energy Review Interest in natural gas has risen= in recent years, stimulated by environmental concerns, price volatility, a= nd deregulation of natural gas markets, and major U.S. energy companies hav= e made it an increasingly important investment focus. Lawmakers seek t= o close public utility records Nov 15 - Florida Times Union When the Times= -Union requested public records from the JEA this summer, it found an eye-o= pening story: Some homeowners had used millions of gallons of water to main= tain their lawns while Jacksonville suffered from a drought. Trading/M= arketing RWE's Trading unit to also trade energy in London ESSEN, Ge= rmany, Nov 16, 2001 (AFX-UK via COMTEX) -- RWE AG said its Trading unit wil= l trade energy in London in addition to oil, gas and coal. Deals/Contr= acts Natural Gas Contracts Are Beneficial To Companies: Pemex MEXICO= CITY, Nov 15, 2001 (Reforma/Corporate Mexico by Internet Securities, Inc. = via COMTEX) -- Pemex Gas and Basic Petrochemicals Director Marcos Ramirez S= ilva said the company has no intention of canceling its contracts with indu= strial gas consumers to supply them with natural gas for three years at the= fixed price of 4 dollars per million BTUs, reported Mexico City daily Refo= rma. Legal Energy Seller Plans to Buy Back Stock in Trading Opera= tion Despite Lawsuits By Steve Everly, The Kansas City Star, Mo., Nov. 16 = UtiliCorp United Inc. is facing 10 lawsuits over its plans to reacquire all= stock in Aquila Inc., but a top UtiliCorp executive said Thursday that the= company was hearing little opposition and had no plans to change its offer= . Large pension funds weigh legal options over Enron By Martha Slud, = NEW YORK, Nov 16 (Reuters) Some big pension funds that invested in Enron Co= rp. said on Friday they are considering legal options in the wake of the en= ergy giant's stock collapse and a regulatory probe of its dealings. Wi= sconsin Agency's Counsel Comes Under Fire for Excluding Non-Lawyers By Lee= Hawkins Jr., Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Nov. 16 State Senator Rod Moen an= d several business and consumer groups blasted the Public Service Commissio= n's lawyer Monday for a legal opinion that non-lawyers should not be allowe= d to participate in rate cases and other formal agency proceedings. Pe= ople Executive of Pittsburgh-Area Electricity Supplier Transfers Back = to Virginia By Frank Reeves, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Nov. 15 Dominion Res= ources Inc. said it planned to eliminate 19 -- or nearly a quarter -- of it= s senior managers by year's end and will transfer its top local manager bac= k to its Richmond, Va., headquarters. President of Western Resources S= ubsidiary in Kansas to Retire The Wichita Eagle, Kan., Nov. 15 The preside= nt of KGE announced his retirement Wednesday, the same day that executives = of Western Resources unveiled plans to merge KPL and KGE under a new name, = Westar Energy. Cal-PERS Will Block Old Enron Board from Joining New On= e Nov. 18 (California Energy Markets) The California Public Employees Reti= rement System, which owns three million shares of the battered giant Enron,= announced at the end of a closed-door meeting it will oppose the appointme= nt of current Enron board members to the merged Enron-Dynegy company board.= Special Offer from this Publisher! Labor/Human Resources Belgia= n Gas And Electricity Unions Accept Electrabel Offer Nov 17, 2001 - FT Wor= ld Media Abstracts via Comtex Belgian gas and electricity sector unions, re= spectively FEG and CGSLB, have accepted the terms of a protocol agreement o= n the status of employees at Electrabel. Financial Gazprom May Re= ceive $200M Credit From Western Banks Moscow, Russia, Nov 16, 2001 (RosBu= sinessConsulting via COMTEX) -- The Russian gas giant Gazprom has signed an= agreement with a group of western banks about a long-term credit worth $20= 0 million for five years. Enron plans to sell off losing assets Nov 1= 6 - Tulsa World Enron Corp., the once-mighty energy trader, is dumping mone= y-losing assets and focusing on its core wholesale power marketing business= as it moves toward a merger with rival Dynegy Inc. Financial - Result= s The Times: Bg Given A Lift by High UK Gas Price Nov 16, 2001 - FT W= orld Media Abstracts via Comtex BG increased its operating profits for the = third quarter by 20% to GBP202m, due primarily to a 22% rise in gas prices.= Energy firms buck the trend Nov 16 - The Guardian Two leading Britis= h energy groups, BG and International Power, yesterday brushed aside slidin= g oil and power prices as they delivered higher profits and forecast earnin= gs growth. International Eni sees growth through takeovers, explo= ration MILAN, Nov 17 (Reuters) Italian oil and gas group Eni wants to expa= nd its way into the heavyweight league by buying more companies and increas= ing its exploration activity, top managers were quoted as saying on Saturda= y. Ukraine Approves Russian Gas Debt Deal Moscow, Russia, Nov 16, 20= 01 (RosBusinessConsulting via COMTEX) -- Ukraine's parliament ratified on T= hursday key agreements between Kiev and Moscow on restructuring debts for R= ussian natural gas supplies, opening the way for the government to start th= e repayments. Gaz de France to Invest US$500mn in Gas Transport Mexi= co, Nov 16, 2001 (BNamericas.com via COMTEX) -- France's state gas company = Gaz de France will invest US$500mn in Mexico in the next five years in proj= ects related to gas transportation, the company's president of Mexican oper= ations Gerard Mallett said, newspaper El Economista reported. Energy D= ept, Mexico State Sign Gas Accord Mexico, Nov 16, 2001 (BNamericas.com vi= a COMTEX) -- Mexico's federal Energy Department head Ernesto Martens Reboll= edo has signed a coordination agreement with Mexico state governor Arturo M= ontiel Rojas on the distribution, transport and storage of natural gas in M= exico state. Private Industry Holds Back On Energy Investments MEXIC= O CITY, Nov 16, 2001 (El Universal/Corporate Mexico by Internet Securities,= Inc. via COMTEX) -- Private industry held back 15.683 billion pesos of inv= estment in the Mexican energy sector this year, despite having agreed with = Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) and the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) to= make these investments, reported Mexico City daily el Universal. Fren= ch Government to Privatise Gas Transport Infrastructure Nov 15, 2001 - FT = World Media Abstracts via Comtex Having privatised the motorways, the Frenc= h government is now turning its gaze to France's gas transport infrastructu= re. Vattenfall Interested in Co-Operation with German Gas Supplier Vng= Nov 16, 2001 - FT World Media Abstracts via Comtex Verbundnetz Gas AG, Ge= rmany's second-largest gas supplier, would be affected if the conglomerate = E.ON AG were to succeed in acquiring a majority stake in Ruhrgas, the count= ry's largest gas supplier, as it is thought that Ruhrgas would have to redu= ce its stake in VNG from the current 36.84 per cent. Half a billion do= llars to be spent on upgrading Kazakh gas system Nov 15 - BBC Monitoring C= entral Asia The Oil and Gas Transportation [OGT] company [Transport Nefti i= Gaza] company has drawn up a programme whereby approximately 500m dollars = will be invested in the development of the country's gas transportation sys= tem by 2005, OGT first deputy general director, Kairgeldy Kabyldin, told jo= urnalists in Almaty today. Distribution/LDCs CRE To Begin Tenders= Of Gas Distribution In 2002 MEXICO CITY, Nov 16, 2001 (Reforma/Corporate= Mexico by Internet Securities, Inc. via COMTEX) -- Beginning next year, th= e Energy Regulation Commission (CRE) will begin the second stage of tenders= for natural gas distribution zones, reported Mexico City daily Reforma. = Fpl Expands Natural Gas Service Nov 17 - Palm Beach Post FPL Energy Ser= vices, a subsidiary of Juno Beach-based FPL Group, has expanded natural gas= service to businesses throughout Florida. If you are an Energy Cent= ral News Subscriber and you have checked any news articles above, selecting= the 'Get Articles' button below will deliver all of the checked articles i= n one page. This is a convenient way to get exactly the news you need - qui= ckly! NEED INFORMATION ON THE POWER INDUSTRY? ENERGY CENTRAL'S GO= T IT! 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