Completely

KeySpan Corp. said Wednesday it has closed its previously announced transaction to completely exit ownership interest in the Houston Exploration Co., which it founded in the 1980s (see Daily GPI, Nov. 22).

KeySpan Corp. said Wednesday it has closed its previously announced transaction to completely exit ownership interest in the Houston Exploration Co., which it founded in the 1980s (see Daily GPI, Nov. 22).

After emerging from what might be called the winter of discontent because of record high gas prices and demand, Bay State Gas Co. said it has decided to protect itself and its firm customers from any unexpected gas use next winter by cutting off service to interruptible (IT) customers from December 2004 through March 2005. However, some IT customers say it’s a ploy to get them to sign up for more expensive firm delivery service.

After emerging from what might be called the winter of discontent because of record high gas prices and demand, Bay State Gas Co. said it has decided to protect itself and its firm customers from any unexpected gas use by interruptible (IT) customers in the coming winter. However, some IT customers say it’s a ploy to get them to sign up for more expensive firm delivery service.

After bending, but not completely breaking lower on the news that a paltry 52 Bcf was pulled from underground storage facilities last week, natural gas futures prices rebounded Thursday in sympathy with frigid temperatures and spiking cash prices. The February contract finished at $7.094, up 21.6 cents for the session.

Duke Energy pulled out of proprietary energy trading, closed two North American trading offices and has completely made over the business plan of its unregulated business unit. However, Duke is keeping its options open in the energy merchant sector, because even though “the current opportunities are not that great, when they are, we want to be in a position to react,” the COO said last week.

Duke Energy pulled out of proprietary energy trading, closed two North American trading offices and has completely made over the business plan of its unregulated business unit. However, Duke is keeping its options open in the energy merchant sector, because even though “the current opportunities are not that great, when they are, we want to be in a position to react,” the COO said Tuesday.

Columbia Gas Transmission, a unit of NiSource Inc., said service was completely restored last week to the handful of residential customers in West Virginia who lost service following the rupture of a 30-inch diameter looping line carrying about 600 MMcf/d of gas through a rural area near Charleston. The pipeline rupture caused a fire last Monday at 11 p.m., but no injuries were reported. Gas transportation service was diverted onto a parallel pipeline. No mainline deliveries were curtailed, a spokesman said.

A leading energy pundit told a Houston audience last week that the U.S. energy debate is completely politicized–what should be a populist issue has instead been relegated to the “conservative side of the Republican Party.” And partly because of the divide, the country is falling further behind in its quest for more energy supplies.