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Southern Co., the largest electric generator in the country,still plans to hire 1,000 more people before the end of the year.Many of the job openings are in the unregulated sector, the companysaid last week. So far in 1999, Southern has filled 2,000 vacant ornew positions.

Southern Co., the largest electric generator in the country,still plans to hire 1,000 more people before the end of the year,the company said yesterday. Many of the job openings are in theunregulated sector. So far in 1999, the company has filled 2,000vacant or new positions.

The end of Georgia gas deregulation process is proving to be notonly eventful, but also confusing for customers. On Tuesday (Aug.10), the day before the market share of the 20 gas suppliers was tobe determined, 77,000 gas customers in the state switched fromAtlanta Gas Light (AGL) to one of 20 marketers, for fear of beingplaced on a random assignment list, which actually won’t be made upuntil Monday.

Given that the case is now before a court, FERC is “powerless”to act on KN Wattenberg Transmission LLC’s petition seeking aone-year extension of the construction and operation deadline forits proposed 109-mile Front Runner Pipeline, which was supposed tobegin service this month, says a competing pipeline.

Without any impetus to break in either direction, natural gasfutures continued to subsist on a steady diet of range-boundtrading yesterday at the New York Mercantile Exchange. But incontrast to Tuesday’s session, which featured the market closingnear its high trade for the day, Wednesday’s session was dominatedby selling that ushered the prompt August contract down 3 cents to$2.146. Estimated volume was light, with only 44,985 contractschanging hands.

Even before their merger is consummated, Dominion Resources andConsolidated Natural Gas are making plans to begin development offour gas-fired peaking power generation facilities along CNGTransmission in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Thefacilities represent up to $800 million in local investment. Allfour plants are expected to be in service in time for peak summerdemand in 2002.

Virginia’s State Corporation Commission (SCC) said it plans to use the full 180 days allowed by Virginia law before ruling on Dominion Resources’ merger with CNG. The announcement was made just two weeks after CNG cited fewer potential regulatory problems as a main reason for selecting the Dominion bid over a hostile offer from Columbia Energy Group (See NGI, May 17). If the SCC takes the full 180 days, a decision would not be reached until Nov. 17.

Even before their merger is consummated, Dominion Resources andConsolidated Natural Gas are making plans to begin development offour gas-fired electric power generation facilities along CNGTransmission in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Thefacilities represent up to $800 million in local investment. Allfour plants are expected to be in service in time for peak summerdemand in 2002.

Virginia’s State Corporation Commission (SCC) said it plans touse the full 180 days allowed by Virginia law before ruling onDominion Resources’ merger with CNG. The announcement was made justtwo weeks after CNG cited fewer potential regulatory problems as amain reason for selecting the Dominion bid over a hostile offerfrom Columbia Energy Group (See Daily GPI, May 13). If the SCCtakes the full 180 days, a decision would not be reached until Nov.17.