Attention

Two medium-size natural gas companies in the Southwest drew negative attention from the rating agencies last week, with Moody’s Investor Services reviewing Salt Lake City-based Questar Corp. for a possible downgrade and Standard & Poor’s assigning a negative outlook to Las Vegas, NV-based Southwest Gas Corp., noting its “strong, diverse and growing gas market” is offset by what S&P called “a highly political regulatory environment.”

With Canada’s newest natural gas export pipelines running at or near capacity, attention is riveted on how to cope with excess space on the old mainstay. As of June, the latest fully-reported month, Alliance Pipeline and Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline (M&NP) were meeting or exceeding expectations.

Distrigas of Massachusetts LLC declared force majeure Friday — which means that it is unable to meet the contract demand of its 20 “or so” customers in New England — only days after the U.S. Coast Guard banned a tanker filled with liquefied natural gas (LNG) and destined for the company’s Everett, MA, terminal from entering Boston Harbor due to safety and security concerns, a FERC spokeswoman said.

With Canada’s newest natural gas export pipelines running at or near capacity, attention is riveted on how to cope with excess space on the old mainstay. As of June, the latest fully-reported month, Alliance Pipeline and Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline (M&NP) were meeting or exceeding expectations.

With three expansions to its system in the works for 2002 and 2003, Southern Natural Gas is turning its attention to 2004, soliciting non-binding requests for long-term firm transportation on any part of its system.

With three expansions to its system in the works for 2002 and 2003, Southern Natural Gas is turning its attention to 2004, soliciting non-binding requests for long-term firm transportation on any part of its system.

Highlighting TransAlta’s increased attention to the generation side of its business, the company last Thursday said that it has signed an agreement to sell its Alberta-based transmission business to a consortium of companies collectively known as AltaLink.

Highlighting TransAlta’s increased attention to the generation side of its business, the company yesterday said that it has signed an agreement to sell its Alberta-based transmission business to a consortium of companies collectively known as AltaLink.

Rising energy prices have acted like a tax on businesses and consumers and have not received enough attention as a cause of the U.S. economic slowdown, Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan told International Monetary Conference delegates in Singapore last week. However, with oil and natural gas prices declining, he expects less pressure on businesses and consumers.