Beginning

Beginning Wednesday (Aug. 3) there will be a “HAWK” flying over the Eagle Ford Shale of South Texas, collecting infrared images intended to reveal the release of volatile organic compounds (VOC) from natural gas production and other industrial facilities.

Houston-based Dynegy Inc. said it is beginning discussions to line up more than $1.7 billion in financing as part of a new organizational structure separating its natural gas- and coal-fired electric generation assets. Separately, Moody’s Investors Service lowered the ratings on the Dynegy holding company unit that owns the gas-fired assets.

Southern Union Co. is seeing its dance card beginning to fill up after Williams arrived late Thursday bearing a more lucrative merger package than one offered earlier this month by Energy Transfer Equity LP (ETE).

Southern Union Co. is seeing its dance card beginning to fill up after Williams arrived late Thursday bearing a more lucrative merger package than one offered earlier this month by Energy Transfer Equity LP (ETE).

Gains were still small, but a few points that had been flat a day earlier were beginning to record upticks of a couple of pennies or so Thursday. Cooling load was bolstered by continuing high temperatures throughout the South being joined by forecasts of huge peak temperature jumps in parts of the Midwest that were still relatively low as recently as Thursday.

To fund increased drilling in core areas of the Marcellus Shale and Piceance Basin, Antero Resources has added $126 million to its capital budget for 2011.

At the beginning of this year compared to the same period a year earlier, wind and hydroelectric power supplies increased, natural gas use was flat and coal-fired generation was down markedly, according to the latest report from the Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Newfield Exploration Co. recently raised its 2011 capital budget to $1.9 billion from $1.7 billion set at the beginning of the year. The increase largely relates to leasing in “an undisclosed resource play,” said CEO Lee Boothby during a conference call with financial analysts.

Newfield Exploration Co. Thursday raised its 2011 capital budget to $1.9 billion from $1.7 billion set at the beginning of the year. The increase largely relates to leasing in “an undisclosed resource play,” said CEO Lee Boothby during a conference call with financial analysts.