Spot natural gas prices were mostly stronger for the Aug. 8-12 trading week, propelled by robust power burns in the wake of plunging wind generation. However, cooling temperatures in some regions ultimately left NGI’s Weekly Spot Gas National Avg. up only 4.5 cents to $8.065/MMBtu.

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News headlines, first on Freeport LNG and then on the offshore Mars crude oil pipeline, drove a huge rally for Nymex natural gas futures this week despite little impact to gas balances. Production also garnered the market’s attention and by Friday, the September Nymex futures contract settled at $8.768, up $1.179 from Monday’s close.

With cooler weather starting to take hold in parts of the country, this week’s gains in the spot gas market are notable. The largest price increases week/week...