Applied

East Tennessee Natural Gas has applied to FERC for the go-ahead to build a phased 510/MMcf/d extension and expansion of its existing system to serve the expanding power generation and local distribution company (LDC) needs in the southeastern United States.

East Tennessee Natural Gas has applied to FERC for the go-ahead to build a phased 510 MMcf/d extension and expansion of its existing system to serve the expanding power generation and local distribution company (LDC) needs in the southeastern United States.

Williams and BC Hydro applied to federal regulators on both sides of the Canadian border Tuesday to build a 94 MMcf/d natural gas transmission pipeline in the state of Washington, underwater in the Georgia Strait and on Vancouver Island in Canada to serve power plants in the area. With sufficient regulatory approvals, construction of the $159 million project could start in the fall of 2002 with operation of the pipeline beginning a year later.

Both of California’s two major distributors, Southern CaliforniaGas and Pacific Gas & Electric, had high-pack OFOs in placeSaturday. The one by SoCal Gas applied to all shippers whilePG&E’s was customer-specific.

Western Gas Resources-California last week applied to theCalifornia Public Utilities Commission to operate a Californiautility. Western-California, a subsidiary of Western Gas Resources,has acquired an option to buy the Steelhead Pipeline System andportions of the Sacramento River Gas System in northern Californiafor an undisclosed sum. Western is seeking to change the systems’status from proprietary to public utility.

Pacific Gas and Electric applied to the California PublicUtilities Commission (CPUC) to reduce electric rates at the end ofthe electric rate freeze, but no later than March 31, 2002. Thestate law that governs the restructuring of California’selectricity market, AB 1890, gave residential and small businesscustomers a 10% rate reduction on Jan. 1, 1998 and froze rates atthat level. The state law also provided investor-owned utilities atransition period to recover stranded costs. That transition periodends March 31, 2002, or when the past investment costs have beenrecovered, whichever comes first. At that time, the rate reductionswill go into effect.