BC Gas selected Marine Pipeline Construction, a division of MurphyPipeline Inc., as its contractor for the 188-mile, 24-inch diameterSouthern Crossing gas pipeline. The contractor will begin movingequipment immediately to locations along the pipeline route, whichstretches from Oliver to Yahk, BC. Construction is expected to beginbefore June 1 and be completed by November. The C$377 million projectwill be designed to initially transport 250 MMcf/d with room forexpansion to 600 MMcf/d. Addition details are available in a pdffile on BC Gas’web site.

Catalytica Combustion Systems Inc., Kawasaki Motors Corp. andEnron Energy Services Inc. plan to build three Kawasaki M1A-13X gasturbines for a distributed generation power project for thenortheastern United States. The engines will be equipped withCatalytica’s Xonon Cool Combustion technology, a system thatenables gas turbines to achieve extremely low emissions withoutexhaust gas cleanup systems. This is the first time Grand Rapids,MI-based Kawasaki Motors USA has ventured into the commercialmarket with its gas turbine system. Enron Energy Services Tom Whitesaid that the Xonon system is a “key element” in his company’sdistributed generation solution to supply clean energy forincreasing demands around the country.

Tucson Electric Power Co. and Citizens Utilities agreed topartner on a new power transmission line that will enhanceelectrical service reliability to southern Arizona and strengthenthe electric power grid in the southwestern United States. The twoutilities signed a deal to jointly develop the interconnection andtransmission project that will extend from southern Arizona to theMexico border. Citizens currently is engaged in several serviceimprovement initiatives in order to comply with an order from theArizona Corporation Commission (ACC) to improve reliability inSanta Cruz County. One component of Citizens’ plan is constructionof a new 115,000-volt transmission line by Dec. 31, 2003. TEPrecently participated with the Comision Federal de Electricidad(CFE), Mexico’s federal energy agency, in a joint feasibility studyto develop an interconnection with Mexico. The study concluded thata 345,000-volt interconnection from TEP’s substation nearSahuarita, AZ, to CFE’s system in Sonora, Mexico, is feasible.

Ameren Corp. subsidiary Ameren Energy Communications bought allof the assets of Energy Measurement Enterprises (EME), a providerof utility metering services based in Lodi, CA. Terms of thetransaction were not disclosed. Based in northern California, EMEwas formed in 1997 by Wayne Parker and John Lichti, former PacificGas & Electric employees. EME provides physical metering sales,services and maintenance in the direct access and IndependentSystem Operator (ISO) markets. The EME acquisition is Ameren’ssecond acquisition of a metering operation in the past 12 months.

Cross Timbers Oil Co.’s recent record of growth and debtconsolidation has convinced more than a few investors that it’s agood place to put money. The Fort Worth-based independent this weekcompleted financing of a new $850 million revolving credit facilitywith a group of 23 major U.S. and international banks., withproceeds from the loan used to retire its existing bank debt. Thecompany also completed buying back 3.4 million shares of stock at$11.55 per share and authorized the repurchase of up to 3 millionmore shares, or about 6.5% of shares outstanding.

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