Changing

Illinois Power, now a subsidiary of leading marketer DynegyCorp., is changing its game plan, telling regulators it wants todrop out of the more conservative Midwest Independent SystemOperator (MISO) to join the Alliance Regional Transmission Operator(Alliance RTO).

With new outlets to markets the Canadian natural gas industry ismoving into a new stage with higher prices dictating a change inthe priorities of doing business.

Dallas-based Texas Utilities Co. is changing its name to TXU,which is also the company’s stock symbol. The action bringstogether divisions and subsidiaries, domestic and international,under one name. TU Electric/Lone Star Gas, the company’s largestdomestic operation, will be renamed TXU Electric & Gas.

The Rocky Mountain Oil &amp Gas Association (RMOGA) has fallenprey to low commodity prices and industry belt-tightening justshort of its 80th anniversary. The trade group plans to shut itsdoors permanently June 1.

TPC Corp. is changing hands yet again as PacifiCorp unloads yet another non-core asset. NIPSCO Industries subsidiary NI Energy Services is buying Houston-based TPC for $132.5 million. The deal also involves a payment for working capital to be determined at closing. NI Energy Services also gets PacifiCorp’s 66% interest (held by TPC) in Market Hub Partners LP (MHP).

TPC Corp. is changing hands yet again. This time NIPSCOIndustries subsidiary NI Energy Services is buying Houston-basedTPC for $132.5 million from PacifiCorp. The deal also involves apayment for working capital to be determined at closing. NI EnergyServices also gets PacifiCorp’s 66% interest in Market Hub PartnersLP (MHP)

When assessing the market of an acquisition target, allcustomers are not equal, Columbia Energy Group Chairman Oliver G.Richard told a merger and acquisition symposium this week.

A newly released Gas Research Institute study examining theshift in perceptions of the U.S. gas resource base, titled”Changing Perceptions Of Remaining U.S. Conventional GasResources,” discusses how the move — from the shortage mentalityof the 1970s to today’s view that gas is abundantly available –has resulted from an interplay of factors. Factors discussedinclude increased exploration success rates in frontier plays,improved gas well recoveries and continued reserve appreciationactivity in existing fields. GRI, with Energy and EnvironmentalAnalysis Inc. of Arlington, VA, developed the study.

A newly released Gas Research Institute study examining theshift in perceptions of the U.S. gas resource base, titled”Changing Perceptions Of Remaining U.S. Conventional GasResources,” discusses how the move – from the shortage mentality ofthe 1970s to today’s view that gas is abundantly available – hasresulted from an interplay of factors. Factors discussed includeincreased exploration success rates in frontier plays, improved gaswell recoveries and continued reserve appreciation activity inexisting fields. GRI, with Energy and Environmental Analysis Inc.of Arlington, VA, developed the study.