Concerns

Arizona could improve its natural gas reliability and price concerns by developing some gas storage in the state, both state regulators and the private-sector utilities said Tuesday during a winter preparedness meeting by the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) in Phoenix. Some ACC members, however, questioned whether the utilities were doing enough to encourage the interstate pipelines or another source to develop the state’s first gas storage.

Representatives of some of Canada’s largest investor groups met privately with Alberta officials on Friday to voice concerns about the proposed changes to the province’s oil and natural gas royalty regime. Meanwhile, ConocoPhillips joined the growing number of dissenters and said it may cut its Canadian investments next year.

Despite mild weekend weather forecasts for northern market areas, most points rallied Friday as concerns about potential supply disruptions by Hurricane Dean in the coming week spurred purchases targeted for storage injections. Although heat levels were receding slightly in some sections of the South, especially west of the Mississippi River, they remained high enough there and in the desert Southwest to keep cooling load at respectable levels.

In response to the industrywide sunburn developing from global warming concerns, Bellevue, WA-based Puget Sound Energy (PSE) this spring is rolling out a stepped-up smorgasbord of energy-saving programs with the dual purpose of combating global climate change and rising wholesale energy prices. The combination Puget Energy utility said it is increasingly directing more of its resources in western Washington state to “helping customers conserve electricity and natural gas.”

With post-Sept. 11 security concerns seen as a priority issue, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has unveiled a proposal that would require each applicant for a new nuclear reactor design to assess how the design, to the extent practicable, can have “greater built-in protections” to “avoid or mitigate the effects” of a large commercial aircraft impact, making the plants even more resistant to an attack.

The industry is seeing a slowdown in the development of liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal projects in the energy-friendly Gulf Coast region due to concerns over the price environment for imports, said Hess LNG CEO Gordon Shearer last Tuesday.

The industry is seeing a slowdown in the development of liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal projects in the energy-friendly Gulf Coast region due to concerns over the price environment for imports, said Hess LNG CEO Gordon Shearer Tuesday.

Concerns about extreme weather conditions and rising prices in the crude oil market will keep upward pressure on the Henry Hub natural gas spot price this year and next, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in its Short-Term Energy Outlook for April and Summer Fuels Outlook. It also anticipates higher gas consumption and production levels this year.

Concerns about extreme weather conditions and rising prices in the crude oil market will keep upward pressure on the Henry Hub natural gas spot price this year and next, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in its Short-Term Energy Outlook for April and Summer Fuels Outlook. It also anticipates higher gas consumption and production levels this year.