CMS Energy, announcing completion of the $2.2 billion deal tobuy Duke Energy’s Panhandle Eastern and Trunkline pipeline and LNGassets, also has acquired a president and COO for the new CMSPanhandle Pipeline companies. Christopher A. Helms had been Duke’sgeneral manager of business development and managing director ofits PanEnergy Services Europe subsidiary.

Helms said CMS Panhandle will be keeping almost 1,100 operationsemployees to run field transmission, administration and marketingfor CMS Panhandle Eastern Pipeline Co., CMS Trunkline Gas Co., andCMS Trunkline LNG Co. “We’re continuing to be opportunistic and towork on the transition over to CMS,” Helms said.

The center of operations will continue to be in Houston. Helmshad been with PanEnergy and later Duke Energy since 1990 when hejoined the company’s legal department.Duke acquired the pipelinesas part of its purchase of PanEnergy about two years ago for $7.7billion. It is retaining Texas Eastern pipeline and PanEnergy’smidstream and marketing assets. CMS also recently collected its ownmidstream assets, buying the 2,000 miles of Midcontinent gatheringlines, gas processing and liquids production of Tulsa, OK-basedContinental Natural Gas.

The gathering and pipeline acquisitions give Michigan-based CMSEnergy gas supply lines from the Southwest to its gas and electricdistribution subsidiary, Consumers’ Energy. It comes at a time oftight power supplies in the Midwest which argues for new powerplant construction. In fact within a week of the CMS/Dukeannouncement last November, CMS said it had struck a deal todeliver gas through Panhandle Eastern for a new large (550 MW)cogeneration plant replacement for the old Ford Motor and RougeSteel power plant in Dearborn, MI

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