2003

The global, multi-billion-dollar deal announced by California and Williams last week that could ultimately include two other states and more than a dozen local governments, along with a series of class action plaintiffs, calls for California to gain more control of its long-term power contracts and receive up to $417 million in separate payments from the energy company.

El Paso has postponed until 2003 maintenance shutdowns of the Mojave Topock Station ( DMOJAVE), previously scheduled for Nov. 8-15, and the Mojave Pipeline at Daggett, previously scheduled for Nov. 8. The change was made to accommodate customer scheduling needs during November, El Paso said.

A feasibility study on a Mackenzie Delta pipeline won’t be ready before the middle of 2003, and a completed project’s timing now falls between 2007-2010, said a Shell Canada Ltd. executive last week. Shell Canada is one of the partners in a consortium to move natural gas from the prolific region, but despite the delay, the company has begun buying more land and developing the frontier basin in anticipation of laying a pipe.

A feasibility study on a Mackenzie Delta pipeline won’t be ready before the middle of 2003, and a completed project’s timing now falls between 2007-2010, said a Shell Canada Ltd. executive Monday. Shell Canada is one of the partners in a consortium to move natural gas from the prolific region, but despite the delay, the company has begun buying more land and developing the frontier basin in anticipation of laying a pipe.

FERC’s 2003 budget, released last week, requests nearly $200 million to operate, but more important, expects to offer a “new way of operating” in the aftermath of the electricity crisis in the Western United States last year. The Commission said that given the California experience, “it is now clear that our primary emphasis must be to facilitate a full transition to competitive wholesale energy markets as soon as possible.”

Avista-STEAG LLC and NRG Energy have entered into a partnershipin the hopes of adding 633 MW of power generation to Texas’ powerpool in 2003. The partnership will build, manage and operate thenatural gas-fired Brazos Valley project to be located in Fort BendCounty, TX, about 30 miles southwest of Houston.