Thursday marked the first time bears took firm control of themarket all week, as most price points fell between a nickel and 10cents. A large majority of the deals were made through the weekend,as many trading offices were expected to be sparsely populated onGood Friday.
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Milford Power Plant Deal Approved by Regulators
The Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control approved afirm transportation agreement between Southern Connecticut Gas, CNEEnergy Services Group and Milford Power that requires Southern toinstall distribution lines and transport 96,000 Dth/d of gas to theproposed 544 MW Milford Power Plant. The electric generatingfacility has a targeted in-service date of February 2001.
Title Change for El Paso Intrastate — Alabama
Completing a deal announced last December, El Paso Energy Partners L.P. announced it has assumed control of El Paso Intrastate — Alabama Inc. (EPIA) for $26.4 million from its parent company, El Paso Energy Corp (see Daily GPI, Dec. 27).
Technical Failure Puts Bears in Control
After gapping lower at the open, natural gas futures followed aslippery downward slope yesterday as traders liquidated positionsamid bearish technicals and ahead of warming temperatures expectedlater this week. In contrast to light selling seen last week,yesterday’s weakness manifested itself across the entire strip ofcontracts, led by the May contract which tumbled 7.6 cents to$2.744. Comparatively, the prompt contract eased 7.1 cents to$2.714 and the 12-month strip gave back 5.4 cents to $2.867.Trading was active, with an estimated 63,810 contracts changinghands.
After One-Day Hiatus Bulls Regain Control
Rebounding from Thursday’s heavily predicted, albeit modestsell-off, natural gas futures turned higher Friday as tradersjumped at the opportunity to increase their length while the marketwas trading off fresh highs. After opening lower and quicklymatching Thursday’s $2.75 low, the April contract rumbled 4.2 centshigher to close at $2.825, just below its $2.83 high for the dayand only pennies less than the $2.865 life-of-contract high put inThursday. Estimated volume was solid, with 53,424 contractschanging hands.
Energy East CTG Merger Passes State Review
Hungry Northeast utility giant Energy East said ConnecticutDepartment of Public Utility Control approved its merger withConnecticut Natural Gas parent CTG Resources yesterday. Thecompanies are awaiting Securities and Exchange Commission approvalunder the Public Utility Holding Company Act, which is expected byJune 2000. CTG shareholders overwhelmingly approved the merger onOct. 18.
Bears Regain Control After Rally Fails
Propelled by a technical boost following Monday’s 23-centdecline, the natural gas futures market rallied during the firsthour of trading Tuesday as traders took profits on newlyestablished short positions. But after peaking at $2.31 momentsafter 11 A.M. EST, the December contract once again fell victim tothe same negative weather pattern that has weighed on prices theentire month. That downward momentum quickly took back the earlieradvances, depositing December to $2.189, down 0.8 cents for theday.
Futures Eke Out Small Gain in Quiet Session
Follow-through on last week’s gains and record-settingtemperatures put bulls squarely in control Monday in the Nymex gaspit. Locals and commercials were good buyers in the first hour oftrading yesterday as they buoyed the market to its highest level insix months. However, after the initial surge the market could notattract fresh buying and was left to chop sideways amid arelatively light 59,236 in estimated volume. The July contractfinished at $2.442, up 0.5 cents for the day.
Sonat Regains 100% Control of Sonat Power
Sonat exercised an option recently to buy back 35% interest inSonat Power Marketing from Atlanta Gas Light (AGL). The price wasnot released. Sonat did say it will be at fair market valuedetermined by investment banks selected by Sonat and AGL. Sonatalready owns the other 65% of Sonat Power Marketing.
Experts: Weather, Storage Management Gaining Importance
In the ever-changing climate of energy deregulation, portfoliomanagement tools, such as weather hedging and storage control, arebecoming more vital, a panel of industry experts said Thursday atthe LDC Forum Conference in Boston, MA.