Claims

Returning fire in the continuing war of words, a Duke Energy official refuted claims by South Bay power plant ex-employees Friday, and said that output at the company’s plant was actually directed not by Duke, but by the California Independent System Operator (Cal-ISO) to track fluctuations in electricity demand. The plant, he said, operated at top reliability at all times.

Returning fire in the continuing war of words, a Duke Energy official on Friday refuted claims by former employees of its South Bay power facility that the company was manipulating plant output to drive up prices. The company called the charges unfounded, noting that the plant was actually directed by the California Independent System Operator (Cal-ISO), not Duke, to track fluctuations in electricity demand.

El Paso Corp. claims it was set up by California Assembly members to take the blame for high gas prices in the state. It said recent hearings before a subcommittee were a “sham,” and that it was “predetermined” that El Paso would be accused on wrongdoing in a report approved by the subcommittee majority yesterday.

Reliant Energy is pushing to have in operation by mid-June a retail “negawatts” exchange program that it claims will significantly reduce the threat of forced electric outages this summer in the out-of-control California market and 11 other states that make up the Western Interconnection.

Reliant Energy is pushing to have in operation by mid-June a retail “negawatts” exchange program that it claims will significantly reduce the threat of forced electric outages this summer in the out-of-control California market and 11 other states that make up the Western Interconnection.

Despite claims that inadequate takeaway capacity at the SouthernCalifornia border had nothing to do with the record spot priceincreases there this winter, Southern California Gas Co.,nevertheless, plans to expand several receipt points by 150 MMcf/d.

The hoped-for agreement among California’s three investor-ownedutilities and the California’s political establishment was stillout of reach last Friday, but feeling the need to announce someprogress in preparation for his political trip to Washington, DC,and Wall Street early this week. Gov. Gray Davis said the state isclosest to a deal to pay $2.76 billion for the transmission linesof Southern California Edison.

A federal appeals court in Washington, DC last Friday dismissedclaims by California regulators and other petitioners that FERC”abused its discretion and acted arbitrarily” when it approved thecontroversial contract arrangement that awarded Dynegy Marketingand Trade more than 1 Bcf of turned-back capacity on El PasoNatural Gas.

A small Massachusetts local distributor has asked FERC to waivea Tennessee Gas Pipeline tariff restriction that it claims could”frustrate” efforts to unbundle the natural gas market in thestate.