California

In the midst of this week’s power alerts exacerbated byCalifornia’s shortage of electric generating capacity, theSacramento Municipal Utility District drew only three responses toa proposal put out for bids early in the summer to have a developerbuild, own and operate a natural gas-fired 500 to 1,000 MWgeneration plant on part of a 2,000-acre site owned by the nation’slargest municipal utility. The earliest the plant would beoperational would be in 2004.

In light of expanding markets being served by El Paso NaturalGas’ South Mainline, East-of-California (EOC) shippers haveexpressed concern with the pipeline’s “Line 2000 Project” in whichit seeks to abandon six aging compressor facilities and replacethem with nearly 785 miles of converted line that would loop muchof its existing system. The rub is that the proposed project wouldnot create any new capacity.

No one is satisfied much by the California legislature’s11th-hour move late Wednesday to pass two new laws aimed atproviding relief for San Diego electric consumers and their utilitydistribution company, San Diego Gas & Electric. Nevertheless,the governor was expected to sign the measures.

In an unprecedented special session Monday, the five-memberCalifornia Public Utilities Commission provided added retailelectricity rate relief for San Diego consumers who are stillreeling from this summer’s rate shock.

The California power debacle, with its political and financialramifications, coupled with high natural gas and heating oil pricesand dire government warnings of even worse prices this winter, hasled to a host of actions by those who deal with retail customersand constituents.

Transwestern began allocating Tuesday at its SoCal Needlesdelivery point into California due to nominations exceedingcapacity. About 103,000 MMBtu/d of West of Thoreau capacity wasaffected, the pipeline said.

With transmission grids struggling with each new summer heatwave, an aspiring California-based company pushing off-gridmicroturbines, Capstone Turbine Corp., launched a successfulinitial public offering (IPO) Thursday, raising $130 million, andclosing the first day of trading, June 29, at almost $48/share,three times the initial asking price of $16. Friday’s close was$45.06 after hitting a high for the day of $49-plus.

With transmission grids struggling with each new summer heatwave, an aspiring California-based company pushing off-gridmicroturbines, Capstone Turbine Corp., launched a successfulinitial public offering (IPO) Thursday, raising $130 million, andclosing the first day of trading, June 29, at almost $48/share,three times the initial asking price of $16. Friday’s close was$45.06 after hitting a high for the day of $49-plus.

After several weeks of field testing, sponsors of a high-profile,deep-drilling project in the southern end of California’s San JoaquinValley reported Thursday (June 22) “pure, sweet oil” with an APIgravity of 48.6 degrees and associated natural gas with a very highnet Btu content of 1,460 with no water. However, definitiveinformation on the projected volumes is still several weeks away,according to Tri-Valley Oil & Gas Co., operator of the ProjectEkho No. 1 well about 45 miles northwest of Bakersfield, CA.