Active

August natural gas wasted no time in making its mark Monday on the futures market in its first regular session action as the front-month contract, shedding 16.1 cents to close at $3.944 as the fear premium associated with a possible storm in the Gulf of Mexico over the weekend fully dissipated.

While not shying away from active trading, independent generation and merchant natural gas pipeline/storage plays, it’s a sign of the economic downturn that Sempra Energy is charting a course led by its two sizable California utilities, CEO Don Felsinger told financial analysts.

While not shying away from active trading, independent generation and merchant natural gas pipeline/storage plays, Sempra Energy is charting a course led by its two sizable California utilities, CEO Don Felsinger told financial analysts last week at a company meeting in New York City.

The current number of well completions, active rigs and aggregate decline rates in the Barnett Shale of Texas are inexact at this point, but all signs point to “rapid declines taking hold soon,” according to a review of the play by Barclays Capital energy analysts.

The current number of well completions, active rigs and aggregate decline rates in the Barnett Shale of Texas are inexact at this point, but all signs point to “rapid declines taking hold soon,” according to a review of the play by Barclays Capital energy analysts.

April natural gas futures fell hard in active trading Thursday. Traders responded to data showing a weakening economy and a natural gas storage report that fell in line with expectations but below historical averages. Additionally, quantitative traders pushed prices lower.

Economic declines, renewable energy and efficiency growth and ultimately greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions controls all are pushing down natural gas demand in the near term in California and further pushing back the need for liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports, according to a California Energy Commission (CEC) gas staff analyst reporting Monday to a joint meeting of the CEC and California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).

Natural gas producers, especially those active in shale basins, could be in for a rough ride in 2009 and beyond if the current turmoil in the financial markets and the downturn in commodity prices continue unabated, producers told FERC Friday. And while industrial customers see lower gas prices as good news, they say now is not the time to relax.

Natural gas producers, especially those active in shale basins, could be in for a rough ride in 2009 and beyond if the current turmoil in the financial markets and the downturn in commodity prices continue unabated, producers told FERC Friday. And while industrial customers see lower gas prices as good news, they say now is not the time to relax.