Completion

After the recent successful completion of an open season on anadded 124,5000 Dth/d of firm transportation capacity intoCalifornia along its 922-mile interstate pipeline, Williams’subsidiary Kern River Gas Transmission will announce another openseason this week, perhaps as early as today for additional newcapacity on the pipeline carrying Rocky Mountain supplies fromsouthwest Wyoming, a Salt Lake City-based Kern River spokespersonsaid Tuesday.

After the recent successful completion of an open season on anadded 124,5000 Dth/d of firm transportation capacity intoCalifornia along its 922-mile interstate pipeline, Williams’subsidiary Kern River Gas Transmission will announce another openseason this week, perhaps as early as today for additional newcapacity on the pipeline carrying Rocky Mountain supplies fromsouthwest Wyoming, a Salt Lake City-based Kern River spokespersonsaid Tuesday.

NiSource Inc. is losing no time in preparing for the expectedNov. 1 completion of its Columbia Energy acquisition, announcingThursday that about 5% or 800 of the employees of the two companieshave been notified their positions will be eliminated Dec. 1.

Stamford, CT-based Energy East Corp. said yesterday that its mergerwith CTG Resources Inc. is close to completion (see Daily GPI, Oct. 19, 1999; July 1, 1999) and an exchange of shares orcash is expected soon. Based on preliminary results, ChaseMellonShareholder Services, which is acting as exchange agent, will adjustthe cash portion Energy East’s offer by a factor of 0.99. In exchangefor each share of CTG common stock, CTG shareholders had the option toreceive either $41 in cash or a number of shares of Energy East commonstock valued at $41. Energy East expects ChaseMellon to begindistributing cash and stock soon. Questions regarding the exchange maybe directed to ChaseMellon at (888) 581-9932.

Keeping with the company’s self-imposed completion date, Houston-based Apache closed the deal on its previously announced $385 million acquisition of an Occidental Petroleum subsidiary (see NGI, Aug. 7).

Keeping with the company’s self-imposed completion date,Houston-based Apache closed the deal on its previously announced $385million acquisition of an Occidental Petroleum subsidiary (see DailyGPI, Aug. 3). The subsidiary which ownsinterests on the Outer Continental shelf of the Gulf of Mexico will befinanced under a two-part agreement. Part of the cost will be paid upfront, and the remaining cost will be paid for in futureyears. Included in the sale, are properties in 32 fields, half of themoperated, on 93 blocks with total proved reserves of 56.8 millionbarrels of oil equivalent. Net production of the properties throughyearend are expected to yield an average of 107 MMcf/d and 7,800 bblof oil a day. The proved reserves have an estimated six year reservelife.

Saying linepack had stabilized, El Paso canceled an UnauthorizedOverpull Penalty alert (see Daily, Aug. 11) Friday.

The NiSource-Columbia merger has gotten past two more hurdles on its way toward completion. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) unanimously approved the merger, leaving Virginia as the only state left out of the nine yet to approve it (see NGI, July. 10).

El Paso extended completion of Gallup Station maintenance thatbegan June 10 through today, continuing a reduction of San JuanBasin capacity by 250 MMcf/d. The Gallup C turbine will remain downas originally scheduled through June 20. However, because othermaintenance actions may delay the station’s return to fulloperation, a San Juan capacity reduction of 200 MMcf/d startingSaturday may last as long as June 22, a spokesman said.