Backbone

Nine months after approving a settlement to unbundle the Southern California Gas Co. backbone transmission and underground storage systems, stakeholders and California regulators are still waiting for it to happen (see Daily GPI, March 18; Dec. 12, 2001)

Bangor Gas Co. announced the completion of the first phase of its backbone distribution system in Maine with gas service available to a limited number of residents and commercial businesses in the cities of Bangor and Brewer. Bangor Gas completed the installation of 225,000 feet of pipeline in Bangor and Brewer as the company continues to build out its distribution system, which already included 187,000 feet of pipeline operating in Veazie, Orono and Old Town. Bangor Gas began supplying gas from the Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline to its first residential, commercial and industrial customers in December 2000.

Even though natural gas is and will remain the company’sbackbone, El Paso Corp. CEO William Wise told energy executiveslast week that coal will play an increasingly “preferable” role asthe Houston-based company works to sustain its leadership positioninto the future.

Even though natural gas is and will remain the company’sbackbone, El Paso Corp. CEO William Wise told energy executivesyesterday that coal will play an increasingly “preferable” role asthe Houston-based company works to sustain its leadership positioninto the future.

ExxonMobil Corp. has selected mySAP.com as the primary backbonefor the company’s global business infrastructure project, accordingto the German firm, SAP AG, which bills itself as the world’sleading provider of inter-enterprise software solutions. The systemwill be designed to consolidate systems for the recently mergedExxon and Mobil companies, while improving business processes for100,000 employees worldwide. “We have been customers of SAP sincethe late 1980s, and we are excited to continue to build upon ourinvestment in SAP solutions to meet our business objectives ofmaintaining best-in-class business performance for our BusinessLines,” said Jerry Kohlenberger, president of the ExxonMobil GlobalServices Co. “By consolidating and upgrading all systems tomySAP.com, we will tighten synergies around the globe andstreamline business processes.”

Both El Paso Energy and Coastal Corp. wracked up recordfirst-quarter earnings last week, but for completely differentreasons.