Consulting

Consulting firm Deloitte & Touche LLP in a new report is urging regulators to update global reporting requirements for oil and natural gas reserves to both improve information available to markets and restore confidence in reserves reporting.

Consulting firm Deloitte & Touche LLP in a new report is urging that regulators to update global reporting requirements for oil and natural gas reserves to improve information available to markets and to restore confidence in reserves reporting.

Consulting firm Solomon Associates LLC said a consortium of eight North American natural gas transmission companies have commissioned a cost benchmarking analysis of their combined 20 pipeline systems. Solomon will base this study on the concepts and methodologies developed for its fuel refining studies and later adapted for liquid pipeline studies. Other North American and global natural gas transmission companies will be invited to participate in the natural gas pipeline benchmarking study. In 2001, Solomon launched its liquid pipeline studies in Europe, which expanded worldwide. Its specialized, multiclient operating cost benchmarking studies for energy and power generation facilities enables companies to better measure, manage, and maximize their performance. The results of the natural gas pipeline study will remain confidential. No pipeline participant will see other individual pipeline company results, only cost and performance ranges and averages. The benchmarking study will be completed at the end of the third quarter. Detailed information is available by calling (972) 739-1719 or emailing pipeline@solomononline.com.

While revising its forecast for natural gas prices in 2005 upward, the R.W. Beck consulting firm still is keeping the target well under $6 at the Henry Hub despite average 2004 prices of $6.13/MMBtu, 30 cents above its forecast. The group moved its annual estimate for 2005 from $5.49 to $5.68/MMBtu.

While revising its forecast for natural gas prices in 2005 upward, the R.W. Beck consulting firm still is keeping the target well under $6 at the Henry Hub despite average 2004 prices of $6.13/MMBtu, 30 cents above its forecast. The group moved its annual estimate for 2005 from $5.49 to $5.68/MMBtu.

Management consulting firm R. W. Beck Inc. held with its previous projection on natural gas prices, and said Friday that in the second quarter it expects gas prices to average $5.37/MMBtu.

Boston-based consulting firm Energy Security Analysis Inc. (ESAI) has lowered its 10-year forecast of Henry Hub gas prices by 90 cents/MMBtu to $4.09/MMBtu because of the aggressive investments expected to be made in U.S. LNG infrastructure and the significant destruction of domestic industrial gas demand.

Skipping Stone, a Houston consulting firm, has offered its solution to the natural gas pricing and index issue. It advocates the creation of a non-profit data aggregator, The Energy Transaction Repository (ETR), to collect transaction data from market participants and provide services to match, verify and confirm the transactions.

A new study by Lakewood, CO-based consulting firm Bentek Energy shows Midwest/Midcontinent natural gas production growing only slightly over the next few years and demand being driven higher only if high gas prices don’t push new gas-fired power plants out of the market.