Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline has completed constructionand commissioning of the Halifax Lateral, which is ready to delivergas to Nova Scotia Power Tufts Cove Generating Station and willcommence service today. The 77-mile, 12-inch diameter pipelineextends from a point on the mainline near Stellarton to the Tuftsplant in Dartmouth. There are two firm service agreements in placewith Nova Scotia Power for a total of 61,600 MMBtu/day.Construction of the Saint John Lateral also is nearly complete.When the pipeline receives a leave-to-open from the National EnergyBoard, commissioning activities will begin. The lateral is onschedule for service in late November. Facilities for the SaintJohn Lateral consist of 63 miles of 16-inch diameter pipeline froma point near Kedron Lake to delivery points in the Saint John andLake Utopia areas in New Brunswick. The Saint John lateral isdesigned to transport 164,000 MMBtu/d of gas. M&NP also said ithas received approval from the NEB to build facilities to serveEnbridge Gas New Brunswick’s distribution system in eastern,western and southern Saint John. The northern facilities are onhold.

DPL Inc. announced the closing of the sale of its retail naturalgas business unit to Vectren Corp. for $425 million in cash. “Thecompletion of the sale of the gas business unit supports theexpansion of our merchant generation business,” said DPL CEO AllenHill. To date DPL has completed or announced the addition of 800 MWof peaking capacity, representing an investment of $270 million.”Our generation expansion plans are on track, and we expect to have5,000 MW of capacity in operation by the summer of 2003,” Hilladded. DPL’s principal subsidiaries include DPL Energy and TheDayton Power & Light Company (DP&L). DPL Energy operates3,500 MW of generation. DP&L provides electric service to500,000 retail customers in western Ohio.

The New Power Co., based in Greenwich, CT, has filed anapplication with the Texas Public Utility Commission to provideelectricity in the soon-to-be-deregulated marketplace of Texas.Texas begins a pilot deregulation program in 2001, and will becompletely deregulated in 2002. The company, formed in May 2000 toprovide electricity and natural gas directly to households andsmall businesses, wants to offer energy at competitive prices,flexible payment and pricing choices, along with products andservices, such as frequent flyer miles. Formed by Enron, The NewPower Co. began acquiring customers in select utility markets inPennsylvania and New Jersey in October. It has acquired 285,000natural gas and 20,000 electricity customers from the subsidiariesof Columbia Energy Group covering eight states. It also has reachedan agreement with PECO Energy Co. to supply competitive defaultservice for up to 299,999 of its electricity customers.

In the fourth deal of its kind this year, Constellation EnergySource reported that it has signed a three-year energy managementagreement with McCormick & Co., an international producer ofspices and specialty foods, for an undisclosed sum. The companieswill develop a program which will provide McCormick and its 20properties with an on-going evaluation of energy consumption aswell as a process to optimize energy use and minimize energy costs.”[Constellation] will assist McCormick in the management of theirenergy portfolio,” said Greg Jarosinski, president of ConstellationEnergy Source. Constellation spokesman Paul Sleeper said, “It’s afull services contract, we will work with them on any energyrelated matters that they might have. It could range from keepingthem advised on what’s going on with regards to deregulation justas a consulting type of a service, to actually gathering thehistory of their utility bills and going out and soliciting andevaluating offers from third party marketers as deregulationevolves in the different states they have their properties in.”Earlier this year, Constellation Energy Source signed similarenergy management agreements with The Rouse Co., The Mills Corp.and Corporate Office Properties Trust.

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