Customers

A group representing 32 industrial customers in the Pacific Northwest has asked FERC to conduct a more thorough analysis of Northwest Natural Gas Co.’s planned acquisition of Enron affiliate Portland General Electric (PGE). The group charges that the deal could reduce competition in the region’s natural gas transportation and power markets. Northwest Natural and Enron agreed to the $1.8 billion cash and stock transaction in October two months before Enron declared bankruptcy (see Power Market Today, Oct. 9).

Energy East’s Maine Natural Gas (MNG), which began delivering Canadian gas to Maine customers in May of 1999, has added two more towns and the Brunswick Naval Air Station to its distribution system. MNG announced it has added the towns of Brunswick and Topsham, bringing to six the number of communities it serves. The fledgling gas distribution system also supplies Calpine Corp.’s new 540 MW natural gas-fired power generating plant in Westbrook, ME. MNG taps into the new Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline, which began carrying gas from Sable Island off Nova Scotia to New England in 1999.

Due to a change in schedule, Tennessee was unable to deliver gas for processing to the Yscloskey Plant in southeast Louisiana beginning Wednesday. Customers were required to reduce PTR nominations for Yscloskey to zero until further notice.

Business customers of the investor-owned utilities in California are increasingly concerned about the lingering energy crisis that has spiked electricity and natural gas prices and fomented uncertainty about supplies, according to an analysis by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. (LAEDC).

Although he’s “sympathetic” to the plight of electric customersin California, FERC Chairman Curt Hebert Jr. said last week hebelieves the Commission should stay clear of the state and let itsolve its own problems — at least for now.

Although he is “sympathetic” to the plight of electric customersin California, FERC Chairman Curt Hebert Jr. said yesterday hebelieves the Commission should stay clear of the state and let itsolve its own problems — at least for now.

NGPL waived the monthly net withdrawal minimums through Marchfor storage customers under Rate Schedule DSS. It also waived for2001 a requirement that 50% of DSS inventory be cycled by April 30of each year.

Northwest said it lifted a Declared Entitlement Period forovertakes Friday “at the earliest date possible to minimize theimpacts to its customers.” The entitlement had been in effect sinceearly October (see Daily GPI, Oct. 9,2000) and was modified at times since then. The pipeline addedthat “while the operational threat is currently under control,Northwest will continue to monitor the system for unfavorableconditions and will immediately entitle the system, includingweekends, if necessary.” Realignment and must-flow OFOs were canceledby Northwest earlier last week (see Daily GPI, Jan. 4).

Maine regulators, consumer representatives and industrialcustomers are seeking a stay of a FERC order directing the NewEngland ISO to raise its ICAP deficiency charge to $8.75 per kW/Mretroactive to Aug. 1. The current charge is 17 cents.