Caused

PG&E Corp. released negative financial results for 1999caused by its ill-fated experience with Texas natural gasproperties and signaled further retrenchment with the confirmationit is pursuing a buyer for its energy services operations, whichshowed growing losses last year.

PG&E Corp. released negative financial results for 1999caused by its ill-fated experience with Texas natural gasproperties and signaled further retrenchment with the confirmationit is pursuing a buyer for its energy services operations, whichshowed growing losses last year.

Northern Natural Gas completed repairs and restored serviceWednesday after damage by a third party caused a force majeuresituation Tuesday on its East Leg. Line pressure was reduced andservice was curtailed temporarily downstream of Belleville(Lafayette County, WI).

Coastal Gas Gathering and Processing experienced a fire Thursdayat its Dragon Trail (CO) Plant that caused one injury and limitedreceipts into Northwest, Questar, CIG and Public Service Co. ofColorado. Dragon Trail throughput was reduced temporarily to zeroFriday but was being restored by that afternoon, a spokesman said.Full output was expected to be reached by Friday night or Saturday,he said.

Westcoast ended a force majeure late Wednesday at the Pine RiverPlant (see Daily GPI, Jan. 13) that hadcaused the curtailment of about 45 MMcf/d. A minor outage at thesmaller Highway Plant also has been resolved, Westcoast said Thursday.

R. Skip Horvath, president of the Natural Gas Supply Association(NGSA) and former official of a major pipeline group, took theinitial step yesterday towards trying to unify a fragmented naturalgas industry.

Northern Natural Gas extended a System Underrun Limitationcaused by high linepack at least through Saturday’s gas day. TheSUL began Friday (see Daily GPI, Nov. 11).

Having pulled out of a stall caused by depressed commodityprices, Mitchell Energy & Development Corp. is flying rightagain with 12% return on equity in exploration and production, 15to 20% in gathering and 55 to 60% in natural gas liquids (NGLs),according to one analyst. For Chairman, CEO and gas and oilindustry veteran George P. Mitchell, 80, now might be the time tobail out.

In an effort to deal with the serious decontracting problem onits pipeline system caused by the addition of Northern Border’sChicago expansion and the Alliance Pipeline project, TransCanadasaid last week it is strongly considering filing an applicationwith the National Energy Board this month to raise the floor pricefor interruptible and short-term firm transportation service,something the pipeline’s shippers almost certainly will oppose.