NiSource has named former Vastar CEO William A. (Andy) Lang asthe new president and COO of TPC Corp., which it purchased fromPacifiCorp for $150 million in April. Lang and several other newofficials have been hired to rebuild TPC’s energy marketingoperations and grow its existing portfolio management business.

NiSource Senior Vice President James K. Abcouwer said thecompany expects to add about 20 employees to bring the total toabout 65 before the end of the year in an effort to re-enter energymarketing and build on the supply and transportation managementthat has been TPC’s core business. NiSource has bolstered TPC’soperations by adding its existing Midwest marketing operation, NEM,as well as subsidiary Bay State Gas’s Energy Express marketing arm.It also hopes to add Columbia Energy Group’s marketing division ifthe proposed acquisition of Columbia goes through (see relatedstory this issue).

“TPC is a key component of NiSource’s strategy to create ahighly competitive energy company with assets located along acorridor stretching from Texas to Maine,” said Abcouwer. TPC holdsa 66% ownership in Market Hub Partners, which operates the MossBluff and Egan salt cavern storage facilities in the Gulf Coastregion and is in the process of building the NE Hub storage plantin western Pennsylvania. “We are committed to growing TPC’s marketpresence and investment in natural gas wholesale services. As partof that commitment, we are quickly building the TPC team withexperienced talent.”

NiSource has hired Peter I Tumminello as vice president,structured transactions, and Tom Pisula as vice president oftrading. Tumminello previously was vice president of wholesalemarketing at TXU Energy Trading. Prior to that he managed theeastern U.S. wholesale business for TPC. Pisula previously was vicepresident of eastern trading at TXU Energy Trading.

“It’s obvious that NiSource is very interested in expanding itsenergy portfolio, its natural gas portfolio and we are going to beon the look out for good assets that have the opportunity tocomplement TPC’s business,” said Lang. “Columbia is a NiSourceinitiative. There may be pieces of that depending on how it unfoldsthat would fit in with TPC. But we’ll be looking for things thatcomplement as well or asset management activities.”

Rocco Canonica

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