Additional

Calgary, AB-based Enbridge Inc. said Friday it closed on the acquisition of an additional 6.1% interest in the Alliance Pipeline from El Paso Corp, and will pick up another 1.1% interest in the pipeline from El Paso at the end of the first quarter of 2003.

As additional firms emerged Monday on the growing list of companies receiving grand jury subpoenas last week from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Francisco for a widening federal probe, staff members of the state senate’s investigative committee looking at alleged manipulation of California energy markets said it will hold a hearing Nov. 18 to examine the role natural gas played in the state’s 2000-2001 power crisis.

Less than 24 hours after state regulators gave approval for sale of added storage gas supplies, Sempra Energy’s Southern California Gas Co. utility Friday announced an open season Nov. 13-26, 2002, for 8.12 Bcf of supplies in two of its underground storage facilities.

The Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) last week voted to hold off taking further action on the GridFlorida power grid proposal sponsored by the state’s electric utilities after the state’s Office of Public Counsel filed an appeal with its own supreme court of a PSC order approving several aspects of GridFlorida.

While it sees the acquisition of Empire State Pipeline by National Fuel Gas as providing additional stable, predictable cash flow streams and synergies with NFG’s other businesses,Moody’s Investors Service is nevertheless concerned about the debt NFG is taking on.

FERC last Thursday rejected an effort by California Attorney General Bill Lockyer to squeeze billions of dollars of refunds from power sellers into the state’s energy markets, disagreeing with the argument put forward by Lockyer that the Commission’s regulatory regime governing market-based rates violates the Federal Power Act (FPA) requirement that rates must be on file.

The worldwide liquefied natural gas (LNG) business is in a state of rapid growth and flux, and the U.S. marketplace is guiding it, according to Gabriel Avgerinos, general manager of LNG and gas consulting at Poten & Partners in New York. Speaking on a panel at GasMart/Power in Reno, Avgerinos predicted that a massive expansion of LNG trade and imports will take place over the next decade as long as U.S. gas prices remain above $2.50/MMBtu.

The worldwide liquefied natural gas (LNG) business is in a state of rapid growth and flux, and the U.S. marketplace is guiding it, according to Gabriel Avgerinos, general manager of LNG and gas consulting at Poten & Partners in New York. Speaking on a panel at GasMart/Power in Reno, Avgerinos predicted that a massive expansion of LNG trade and imports will take place over the next decade as long as U.S. gas prices remain above $2.50/MMBtu.

Glen L. Kettering, president of Columbia Gas, is assuming the additional responsibilities of heading up Columbia Gulf, due to the resignation of Terrance L. McGill. Columbia Gulf said McGill voluntarily left the company to pursue other activities in the Houston area. Promoted to senior vice president positions in the recent restructuring of the NiSource subsidiaries are James W. Hart Jr., who heads Columbia Gulf’s marketing and business development activities, and Rene P. Dartez, who directs the company’s financial planning and budgeting functions.