Houston-based Petal Gas Storage, a unit of GulfTerra Energy Partners LP, said Monday it plans to hold a binding open season for up to 300,000 MMBtu of firm natural gas storage capacity for a one-year term beginning April 1 of this year.

The open season will kick off at 9 a.m. (CST) on Feb. 9 and will run through 3 p.m. (CST) Feb. 18, according to Petal Gas. Customers interested in bidding on the available capacity must complete a Request for Storage Service Form that can be obtained on the company’s web site at https://www.elpaso.com/postings or by contacting Russ Kovin at (832) 676-5659.

Petal Gas said the open season for short-term service is separate from the one that Southern Natural Gas Co. currently is holding through March 31 for long-term firm storage and transportation service beginning April 2007.

The Petal Gas facilities consist of 9.5 Bcf of high-deliverability natural gas storage, 30,400 horsepower of compression and a 60-mile take-away pipeline extending from Petal, MS, to Enterprise, MS. The facilities have bi-directional interconnects with Tennessee Gas Pipeline, Gulf South Pipeline, Hattiesburg Gas Storage, Transcontinental Gas Pipeline, Southern Natural Gas and Destin Pipeline, which provide access to key gas markets in the eastern half of the United States.

Petal Gas offers both firm and interruptible storage services, as well as interruptible transportation services.

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