Closely

Shareholders in a closely held former independent power producer bought six years ago by South Dakota-based Black Hills Corp. received a Chicago federal judge’s permission to continue pursuing $27.5 million they allege the diversified energy holding company owes them. The case involves a disputed part of the transaction involving “earn-out” provisions of the acquired unit, Indeck Capital, Inc., that sparked the initial lawsuit Aug. 11, 2004.

El Paso said Tuesday its linepack “has stabilized at a manageable level through a combination of takes that more closely match receipts and injections into storage. The threat of Strained Operating Conditions (SOC) has been significantly reduced.” On Sunday it had reported that in a combination of receipt quantities in excess of nominations and takes that were significantly below nominations, system linepack was “rising at rates that are not sustainable.” Since Friday linepack had increased nearly 500 MMcf/d and the Washington Ranch Storage facility was at maximum injection capacity, El Paso said Sunday.

In a move sure to be closely scrutinized by opposing state and federal regulators squabbling over jurisdiction, Houston-based ConocoPhillips and Mitsubishi’s Sound Energy Solutions (SES) announced late Monday that they signed a memorandum of understanding to work jointly on SES’s proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminal in the Port of Long Beach, CA.

Early rumblings about an El Nino weather pattern developing this summer has energy industries and markets monitoring the situation very closely. Such an event would cause a huge shift in summer weather and tropical storm forecasts, thus impacting natural gas demand and pricing levels significantly.

Early rumblings about an El Nino weather pattern developing this summer have energy markets monitoring the situation very closely. Such an event would cause a huge shift in summer weather and tropical storm forecasts, thus impacting natural gas demand and pricing levels significantly.

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects to publish the first natural gas production estimates from its new survey of 280 domestic gas producers (about 90% of total U.S. production) in May, said John Wood, director of reserves and production in the EIA’s Dallas office. Wood said the May report will estimate domestic gas production for January and February 2005 and that by the end of September EIA will be estimating production on a two-month delay.

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects to publish the first natural gas production estimates from its new survey of 280 domestic gas producers (about 90% of total U.S. production) in May, said John Wood, director of reserves and production in the EIA’s Dallas office. Wood said the May report will estimate domestic gas production for January and February 2005 and that by the end of September EIA will be estimating production on a two-month delay.

Indicative of the increased pressure for more integrated energy planning in other high-growth western areas, the San Diego-North Baja, Mexico region increasingly has to be considered comprehensively in applying integrated energy planning to what is fast becoming a more economically and demographically linked part of the Southwest, speakers emphasized at a workshop conducted by the California Energy Commission (CEC) earlier in December.

Consumer groups, businesses and state lawmakers are all watching closely how California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in the next few weeks handles the upcoming two vacancies on the five-member California Public Utilities Commission. Indications are his administration’s appointments secretary will be getting a steady stream of candidates from all sectors of the state.