Company

Energy merchant and power generation company earnings could jump more than 30% in 2001, while earnings for integrated electric utilities could rise 12%, according to Steven Fleishman, head of Merrill Lynch’s global power and gas research group.

A spokeswoman with Mirant Corp. told NGI on Wednesday that an explosion occurred at Unit 5 of the company’s 447 MW Lovett power station in Tompkins Cove, NY. The blast injured one employee and shut down the entire generating facility, spokeswoman Jamie Stephenson said.

Sempra Energy Trading is seeking to quash a FERC subpoena that ordered the company to submit data relevant to a hearing that is examining potential price manipulation in the California natural gas market.

Sempra Energy Trading is seeking to quash a FERC subpoena that ordered the company to submit data relevant to a hearing that is examining potential price manipulation in the California natural gas market.

Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America (NGPL) is proposing an expansion and extension of its existing system in northeastern Illinois to serve a planned new electric power plant, which will be constructed to meet a spring, 2003 in-service date. An open season started April 13 and will close at 5 p.m. CT on Friday, April 27. Natural proposes to expand the capacity of its Volo lateral (starting at Compressor Station 113), North Chicago, and Moraine Lateral by 75,000 Dth/d with the addition of compression. Also, a new eleven-mile, 20-inch lateral with a design capacity of 75,000 Dth/d would be built east from the Moraine Lateral to the site of a planned 550 MW electric power plant in the city of Waukegan, IL. Shippers must return an executed precedent agreement for a minimum of 16 years. Natural has proposed a negotiated rate including a fixed reservation charge of$4.5626 per Dth of contract maximum daily quantity, a maximum commodity rate for an Iowa-Illinois receipt to a Market zone delivery, which is currently $0.0021 per Dth in the peak period and $0.0005 during the off-peak period, plus a tariff fuel rate for an Iowa-Illinois to Market Zone delivery (currently 1.81%). For further information contact David E. Oros at (630) 691-3196.

Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America has proposed expanding a portion of its existing system capacity in southeastern New Mexico to increase deliveries to California. Natural wants to add new compression on a leased basis to its Indian Basin Lateral and other facilities to make deliveries of up to 42,000 Dth/d by the fourth quarter of 2001 through Transwestern Pipeline in Eddy County, NM.

Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America has proposed expanding a portion of its existing system capacity in southeastern New Mexico to increase deliveries to California. Natural wants to add new compression on a leased basis to its Indian Basin Lateral and other facilities to make deliveries of up to 42,000 Dth/d by the fourth quarter of 2001 through Transwestern Pipeline in Eddy County, NM.

The board of directors of Southern Company elected President and CEO Allen Franklin as its chairman. Franklin replaces retiring Chairman A.W. “Bill” Dahlberg as the board’s new leader. Prior to the board electing him to the CEO position last month, Franklin had served as president and COO of Southern since 1999. From 1994 to 1999, he was president and CEO of Georgia Power, Southern’s largest subsidiary.

Alberta Energy Company (AEC) has pulled the Manchester GasStorage Facility in Oklahoma out of the legal quagmire surroundingthe Mountain Energy bankruptcy. AEC subsidiary Salt Plains StorageInc. purchased Manchester, which is located in Grant County, OK,for $42 million last month.