Another

Florida Gas Transmission (FGT) said it is conducting an openseason through April 30 for another expansion project, its Phase Vexpansion, which is designed as an alternative to two majorGulf-crossing pipeline competitors, the Buccaneer and Gulfstreampipelines, proposed by Williams and Coastal, respectively.

TPC Corp. is changing hands yet again as PacifiCorp unloads yet another non-core asset. NIPSCO Industries subsidiary NI Energy Services is buying Houston-based TPC for $132.5 million. The deal also involves a payment for working capital to be determined at closing. NI Energy Services also gets PacifiCorp’s 66% interest (held by TPC) in Market Hub Partners LP (MHP).

BP Amoco added another 3,000 to the heap of 7,000 job cutsalready announced in the wake of the merger of British Petroleumand Amoco and in the midst of depressed oil and gas prices. Thenewest job cuts will be worldwide, and it is not yet known how manywill be in the United States. Last week the company also announcedreplacement cost operating profit for 1998 of $6,437 million, off39% from $10,583 in 1997.

Believing in the saying that “if at first you don’t succeed, tryagain,” El Paso began a new open season Friday to solicit interestin firm service agreements to move gas on an expansion of theBondad Line in the San Juan Basin. A previous attempt at a Bondadexpansion ultimately broke down after FERC rejected some of thetariff provisions last year, leading the primary expansion shipperto withdraw from the project and FERC to vacate its projectcertification (see Daily GPI, Jan. 7, 1998; Oct. 19, 1998; Dec. 11,1998; and Jan. 18, 1999).

Believing in the saying that “if at first you don’t succeed, tryagain,” El Paso began a new open season Friday to solicit interestin firm service agreements to move gas on an expansion of theBondad Line in San Juan Basin. A previous attempt at a Bondadexpansion ultimately broke down after FERC rejected some of thetariff provisions last year, leading the primary expansion shipperto withdraw from the project and FERC to vacate its projectcertification (see NGI, Sept. 7, 1998; Oct. 19, 1998; Dec. 14,1998; and Jan. 18, 1999).

He who bids and runs away lives to bid another day-and at alower price. That could be the new mantra at Questar Corp. whichannounced a record $546 million capital spending plan for 1999.

KN Energy began its Choice Gas program in Nebraska for1999-2000, which will enable nearly all of its service territorycustomers to choose their gas supplier. Last year more than 68% ofeligible Nebraskans selected their supplier under the program.”Choice Gas in Nebraska was very successful in its first year andshould be even better this year,” said Dan Watson, KN distributionoperations general manager.

The upcoming Texas legislative session will see another attemptto merge the Texas Public Utility Commission and the Texas RailroadCommission to create a single agency regulating natural gas,electricity, oil production, as well as telecommunicationsutilities.

PG&E Energy Trading Canada Corp. has made a deal with BC Gasfor capacity on the BC Gas Southern Crossing Pipeline project andfor provision of peaking services to BC Gas, pending regulatoryapprovals. BC Gas last week re-filed for construction of theSouthern Crossing Pipeline, a loop of existing pipeline linked tothe north-south Westcoast Energy pipeline connecting to BritishColumbia and the U.S. Pacific Northwest. The pipeline to linkAlberta gas to the Huntingdon, BC, market area is scheduled tobegin operation Nov. 1, 2000.