Colorado

An increase in residential customers may have spelled the difference between the 3.5 Bcf of gas used by Xcel Energy’s Colorado customers over the recent four-day Thanksgiving weekend, compared to 3 Bcf for the holiday weekend a year ago. Temperatures were nearly the same, with an average daily temperature of 30.5 degrees Fahrenheit this year compared to an average daily temperature of 31 degrees last year. “We had about 39,000 more customers in September 2004 than we had in September 2003,” the last month for which comparative figures are available, according to Xcel spokesman Mark Stutz. In September 2003, Xcel had 1,078,009 customers, compared to the recent month’s 1,117,851. Although Xcel is seeing “modest” customer growth in its Front Range territory, most of the increase is coming in its western mountain resort area where new natural gas service is now available and is replacing electric heating. Stutz said the trend is not confined to Xcel. “All the utilities in the mountain area are seeing the switch from electric and propane to natural gas.”

An increase in residential customers may have spelled the difference between the 3.5 Bcf of gas used by Xcel Energy’s Colorado customers over the recent four-day Thanksgiving weekend, compared to 3 Bcf for the holiday weekend a year ago. Temperatures were nearly the same, with an average daily temperature of 30.5 degrees Fahrenheit this year compared to an average daily temperature of 31 degrees last year. “We had about 39,000 more customers in September 2004 than we had in September 2003,” the last month for which comparative figures are available, according to Xcel spokesman Mark Stutz. In September 2003, Xcel had 1,078,009 customers, compared to the recent month’s 1,117,851. Although Xcel is seeing “modest” customer growth in its Front Range territory, most of the increase is coming in its western mountain resort area where new natural gas service is now available and is replacing electric heating. Stutz said the trend is not confined to Xcel. “All the utilities in the mountain area are seeing the switch from electric and propane to natural gas.”

A large portion of western Colorado’s natural gas-rich Roan Plateau would become available for energy leasing and drilling under the Bureau of Land Management’s just-released preferred alternative.

A large portion of western Colorado’s natural gas-rich Roan Plateau would become available for energy leasing and drilling under the Bureau of Land Management’s just-released preferred alternative.

A large portion of western Colorado’s natural gas-rich Roan Plateau would become available for energy leasing and drilling under the Bureau of Land Management’s just-released preferred alternative.

Calpine Corp. said Friday it has entered into two agreements to sell its Rocky Mountain natural gas reserves in the Colorado Piceance Basin and New Mexico San Juan Basin for approximately $223 million.

Looking to tap into natural gas supplies in southeastern Colorado County, TX, Petrosearch Corp. said Tuesday it has formed a new subsidiary, Pursuit Petrosearch LLC., to explore the deep Wilcox formation. The new company will be based in Houston.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has approved permits for Gunnison Energy Corp. (GEC) to explore for natural gas at two sites near Somerset, CO. The Denver-based producer, which has been fighting criticism from environmental groups that had held up the permitting process, wants to explore for gas and coalbed methane (CBM).

Renowned hurricane forecaster Dr. William Gray of Colorado State University is expecting a more active than normal hurricane season this year with an above average probability of Atlantic basin tropical cyclones and U.S. hurricane landfall. In the extended range forecast released on Friday, Gray’s team of meteorologists predicted there would be eight hurricanes, three of them intense hurricanes and a total of 12 named storms this year.