Encouraged by another skyrocketing screen, growing airconditioning load and a major supply outage in the Rockies, cashprices were on the rise Friday almost across the board by anywherefrom 2 to 18 cents. Most upticks were in the neighborhood of anickel, but all Rockies pipes were seeing double-digit increases.”I think a lot of people are starting to put their bull horns backon,” commented a Texas source.

The only point failing to chalk up a gain was the SouthernCalifornia border, and one marketer attributed its penny downtickto the possibility of SoCal Gas declaring a weekend OvernominationsDay (similar to an excess-linepack OFO). However, as of late Fridayneither SoCal nor PG&E had an OFO in effect for Saturday.

As traders anticipated, unexpected mechanical problems duringmaintenance at the Opal (WY) processing plant (see Daily GPI, June19), which took another 265 MMcf/d off the market through today,caused Rockies prices to soar. Kern River led the way with a riseof nearly 20 cents, primarily because Opal is a key supply sourcefor it. However, a marketer issued a cautionary note, sayingRockies prices likely will head back downhill fast as soon as theOpal maintenance ends next Wednesday, or possibly as early asMonday.

An event that may have some impact on this week’s San Juanpricing was El Paso Field Services being scheduled to take aturbine down Sunday at the Chaco plant at Blanco, NM, formaintenance through next Saturday. An estimated 100 MMcf/d isaffected.

A Houston-based producer said Louisiana pipes were “up, down andall around. When we thought it [the market] was at its peak, itstarted dipping a little bit. We tried to get rid of things, thenit came right back at us again.” He thinks cash will continue torise for the rest of the month “because the heat is stickingaround. We were just looking at the current [Houston] temperatureson the Weather Channel and we have a 108 heat index.”

A trader reporting Midcontinent prices in the low $2.10s forNGPL and ANR and mid $2.10s for NorAm-east noted, “People are justwatching the Nymex because it’s been so strong.” But with storagelevels as high as they are, those people can’t help wondering wherefutures was getting its underlying strength, he added.

Two sources reported intra-Alberta gas for July priced atC$1.80-82, a little over a dime less than Friday’s incrementallevels. Another pegged Chicago basis for July at plus 5.75.

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