Companies

TransCanada PipeLines Limited and NOVA Corp. last week completedtheir merger, the largest ever undertaken by energy companies inCanada. The new TransCanada PipeLines Limited and NOVA Corp. begantrading in Canada July 3. Trading began in the United StatesMonday.

The Gas Research Institute rolled out the first line of targetedresearch offerings, in which companies can gain proprietary accessto technical solutions by forming a partnership with GRI andproduct manufacturers. It is GRI’s first step into the commercialworld where research is determined by market need.

The Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) saidmember companies plan to complete their Year 2000 (Y2K) computeranalysis, modification and testing by October and will havecontingencies in place should the new millennium bring problems.

More than 70% of gas consumed could be bought from suppliersother than local distribution companies under current and proposedLDC transportation programs, according to the American GasAssociation (AGA). But the choice option still is heavily weightedtoward large customers.

The Williams Companies completed the acquisition of Mapco Inc.shifting the bulk of the company’s assets into an unregulatedbusiness environment.

Energy Pacific launched a new energy service called Power ChoiceCalifornia, which will help companies make electricity buyingdecisions in a restructured marketplace. The company launched theservice through a pilot with Hewlett-Packard earlier this year andwill begin marketing the service in April. “We’re finding that manycustomers just don’t know where to begin when asking energyproviders for price quotes, or even what their energy options are,”said Eric Nelson, president of Energy Pacific, an unregulated jointventure of Pacific Enterprises and Enova Corp.

MCNIC Pipeline & Processing, a subsidiary of MCN EnergyGroup, and American Central Gas Companies, have formed apartnership to own and operate a gas gathering system in theCarthage field of East Texas. MCNIC Pipeline & Processing has a40% interest, and American Central holds 60%.

Six energy companies agreed to form Tri-States NGL Pipeline tobuild a natural gas liquids (NGL) pipeline from Alabama andMississippi to Louisiana fractionators. The line will link threegas processing plants under construction to new and expandedfractionators on the Mississippi River.

Union Pacific Resources Group (UPR) closed on its acquisition ofNorcen Energy Resources. The companies’ boards approved the dealJan. 26. UPR initiated a tender offer for the 51.5% of Norcen’s stock not owned or controlled by Noranda Inc., a shareholder of49.5% Norcen common stock.