Chicago

Natural Gas Intelligence the weekly gas market newsletter published : August 16, 1999

Dynegy has fired up its first constructed, owned and operatednatural gas-fired peaking plant, the 250 MW Rocky Road Power Plantnear Chicago, in time to serve the summer air conditioning load.Dynegy plans to sell the power generated at the merchant powerplant into the wholesale electricity market. As a peaking plant itwill run on an as-needed basis. The Rocky Road plant is part of thecompany’s previously announced plan to back up its trading unitwith a $5 billion generation expansion program. Dynegy is aiming toown or control more than 70,000 MW of generating capacity by 2003.It has 6,800 gross MW operating or under construction and recentlyannounced plans for two natural gas-fired 500 MW plants, one inHeard County, GA and another in Oldham County, KY.

Burgeoning gas demand in the southeastern United States andChicago’s supply hub status have spawned another pipeline project.The latest comes from Columbia Gulf Transmission, AGL Resources,and MCN Energy Group. The trio last week began a six-week openseason offering up to 250,000 Dth/d of capacity on the proposedVolunteer Pipeline.

Moving one step closer to bringing 1.325 Bcf/d of gas fromWestern Canada to Chicago, Alliance Pipeline announced the start ofconstruction with the clearing of 410 miles of forestedrights-of-way for mainlines and laterals in northwestern Albertaand northeastern British Columbia. The entire system is expected tobe completed and in service by October, 2000. Alliance said italready has commitments from 37 shippers for 15-year contractsworth a total of $8.2 billion.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is expected toapprove Tuesday a proposed Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) PJMwestern hub electricity futures contract, based on physicaldelivery into the PJM western hub electricity cash market ofPennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland. The contract is to be tradedalong with the CBOT’s TVA and ComEd contracts, creating a powercomplex to provide risk management to the southeastern, midwesternand northeastern United States. The CBOT announced the proposed PJMcontract in November.

“That’s what 20 inches of snow in Chicago will do for you,” aHouston-based producer said Monday in reference to the severeholiday weekend blizzard in the Midwest that propelled cash pricesupward by 20 cents or more at many points. What was being calledthe region’s worst winter storm in more than three decades leftfreezing temperatures across the eastern three-fourths of thenation and very strong heating load.

As if taking a cue from the professional basketball team inChicago, the bulls of natural gas were on top again last week atNymex. A short-covering rally that began Wednesday resumed Fridaysending the July contract to $2.284, a 14-cent increase for theday. Estimated volume was a robust 99,631.

Chicago’s Citizens Utility Board (CUB) announced it has signed asettlement agreement with Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) thatobligates the utility to terminate its controversial marketingprogram, which was designed to give the utility’s affiliatecompanies an edge in the coming competitive energy market.