Two producers-Husky Oil Ltd. and Renaissance Energy Ltd.-havejumped into the ranks of top 10 Canadian suppliers of natural gasto the United States, says a scorecard kept by the U.S. Departmentof Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy.

Husky and Renaissance, both growing independents, joined aninner circle that delivered 1.975 Tcf or 65% of the 3.05 Tcf inCanadian exports to the U.S. in 1998.

The top 10 included TransCanada PipeLines’ TransCanada GasServices with 539.9 Bcf of 1998 exports; Pan-Alberta Gas, 384.8Bcf; Engage Energy Canada, 245.2 Bcf, ProGas Ltd., 217.6 Bcf, EnronCanada, 143.9 Bcf, Duke Energy, 122.1 Bcf, BP-Amoco Canada, 102.4Bcf, PanCanadian Petroleum, 79.9 Bcf, Renaissance, 72.7 Bcf andHusky, 67.3 Bcf.

PanCanadian and BP-Amoco are running neck-and-neck for the titleof top Canadian gas producer. But the top suppliers’ list confirmedthat gas exports to the U.S. continue to be a collectiveenterprise, giving virtually all Canadian producers stakes in U.S.markets. Traditional “aggregators” that represent cross-sectionsof producers organized in decades-old supply pools built ondecades-long contracts -TransCanada, Pan-Alberta and ProGas – stillaccounted for 1.1 Tcf or more than one-third of exports last year.Engage (a partnership of Westcoast Energy and Coastal Corp.), Enronand Duke likewise draw on large pools of Canadian suppliers, but asprivate marketing houses rather than co-ops.

The aggregators all vow to keep on growing, at least at a ratethat retains their market share as Canadian exports head toward apeak which new forecasts by the National Energy Board project to goas high as 5 Tcf in 2018. Pan-Alberta, which now hasproducer-owner-managers, especially is formulating big plans. Theco-op survived a prolonged internal feud and lawsuit that resultedin members wresting control from Nova Corp. following thatcompany’s takeover by TransCanada last year.

Gordon Jaremko, Calgary

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