The market was close to flat in most cases Thursday as only a few points saw more than single-digit change either up or down. Overall it was a bit weaker as softness tended to overshadow gains more than on Wednesday. Cooler forecasts for Friday in the Northeast and much of the South were counterbalanced by warming trends in the Midcontinent/Midwest and Rockies, with Wednesday’s 12.8-cent loss by April futures tipping the market scales more to the bearish side.
Cases
Articles from Cases
Avista Reaches General Rate Case Deals for Gas, Electric
Spokane, WA-based Avista Utilities has reached a multi-party settlement in its natural gas and electric general rate cases in Washington state. The $37.3 million agreement calls for electric base rates to increase an average of 9.1% and gas base rates to go up an average of 2.4%, effective Jan. 1.
BLM to Hold ‘Major’ Lease Sale on Alaska NPR
With energy prices at historical — and in some cases record highs — relief could be on the way in a few years as the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced last week that it will make land available for oil and natural gas leasing in the resource-rich northeast and northwest portions of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A).
BLM to Hold ‘Major’ Lease Sale on Alaska National Petroleum Reserve
With energy prices at historical — and in some cases record highs — relief could be on the way in a few years as the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced Wednesday that it will make land available for oil and natural gas leasing in the resource-rich northeast and northwest portions of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A).
FERC Imposes Penalties for Capacity Release Rules Violations
The almost $7 million to be forfeited by Constellation NewEnergy-Gas Division LLC and the $400,000 levied against Entergy New Orleans Inc. in separate cases for violations of FERC’s capacity release rules could have been much higher if the companies had not self-reported the violations, Federal Energy Regulatory (FERC) Chairman Joseph T. Kelliher said in announcing consent agreements with the companies March 11.
FERC Imposes Penalties for Capacity Release Rules Violations
The almost $7 million to be forfeit by Constellation NewEnergy-Gas Division LLC and the $400,000 levied against Entergy New Orleans Inc. in separate cases for violations of FERC’s capacity release rules could have been much higher if the companies had not self-reported the violations, FERC Chairman Joseph T. Kelliher said in announcing consent agreements with the companies Tuesday.
Screen Gain May Reverse Softness at Most Points
Prices continued to fall Wednesday at most points, although the declines were smaller than Tuesday’s in most cases. And although the Rockies joined the overall softness after having constituted the sole rising market area a day earlier, a number of other points at scattered locations ranged from flat to about 20 cents higher Wednesday.
Softening Dominates Again in Mixed Price Movement
Prices continued to fall in most cases Friday based on limited weather-based demand in some regions, a growing lack of storage injection capacity and the drop of industrial load that accompanies a weekend market. Some points kept mixed price movement in play with gains that were largely derived from either cold weather or an end of storage and/or transportation constraints.
Retail Energy Access Programs Under Review in New York
The New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) plans to review the programs and practices initially established to encourage market development of retail electric and natural gas access to determine whether they may have outlived their usefulness and could be allowed to expire or whether the costs of the programs could be shifted from ratepayers to market competitors.
Most Points Modestly Higher, Rockies Very Soft Again
As a couple of sources had predicted the day before, the cash market remained close to unchanged Thursday in most cases. Freezing lows forecast for Friday morning in much of the East, even into the Deep South, were augmented by Wednesday’s screen rebound in being responsible for modest gains at a majority of points.