Davis

A rich pocket of natural gas in the shallow waters off the coast of Mississippi is paying off handsomely for Chevron U.S.A. Production Co., which reports that production has more than tripled this year in its Viosca Knoll Carbonate Trend to 230 MMcf/d, up from 60 MMcf/d in 1999.

Calgary-based Fort Chicago Energy Partners L.P. — which owns a 26% equity in the Alliance Pipeline project — said that its largest unit holder, Gendis Inc., will distribute 8.5 million units to shareholders by Nov. 24. Gendis, based in Winnepeg, will retain 6.2 million units of Fort Chicago following the transaction.

Unprecedented growth of nearly 339% last year in the gas andsteam turbine market was fueled by the rise in combined cycleconfigurations, a manufacturing method that has dramaticallyincreased efficiency in electricity production and becomeincreasingly popular with power plant producers, according to a newresearch report by Frost & Sullivan.

CanWest Gas Supply Inc., an old-line natural gas aggregator in British Columbia — and also the largest — has agreed to allow Atlanta’s Southern Company Energy Marketing to manage its business.

Construction is complete, and Transwestern Pipeline Co. hasincreased its available capacity to California by 15%, a moveproviding expansion shippers with opportunities to move incrementalvolumes from the San Juan and Permian Basins to the Californiaborder. The $12 million project was approved by FERC in mid-January(see NGI, Jan. 17, 2000).