Deals

Idacorp’s efforts to unwind the power marketing operations may be hindered after the company acknowledged last week that FERC is considering regulatory action for some marketing transactions between subsidiaries Idacorp Energy and Idaho Power. Apparently, they did not have regulatory approval for some power trading transactions, and also had not gotten formal approval to transfer power contracts. Idacorp said it did not know what sanctions it might face, nor what effect the actions might have on earnings.

“Finding creative ways to make deals happen is a bigger challenge for me than assessing a financial statement,” according to Frank Hilton, vice president and chief credit officer for AEP. “You have to look at other things besides the balance sheet,” Hilton told the audience at the LDC Forum last Tuesday in Chicago.

“Finding creative ways to make deals happen is a bigger challenge for me than assessing a financial statement,” according to Frank Hilton, vice president and chief credit officer for AEP. “You have to look at other things besides the balance sheet,” Hilton told the audience at the LDC Forum Tuesday in Chicago.

Kinder Morgan Inc. subsidiary Natural Gas Pipeline Co. of America (NGPL) has extended long-term, firm transportation and storage contracts with Northern Indiana Public Service (NIPSCO) covering 400,100 Dth/d of transportation capacity and 10.5 Bcf of storage space.

The United States Bankruptcy Court in New York has approved the sale of two of Enron North America’s gas purchase agreements to Occidental Energy Marketing, Inc. (Oxy), which will assume responsibility for supply agreements with Peoples Energy utility subsidiaries The Peoples Gas Light and Coke Co. and North Shore Gas effective April 1.

AEC Oil & Gas (USA) Inc., a unit of BP, McMurry Energy, Nerd Energy and Williams’ production business have dedicated 575 MMcf/d of gas production to Williams’ processing plant in Opal, WY, under a long-term agreement. The natural gas production is from the Jonah and Pinedale Anticline fields in southwestern Wyoming.

More than one trader was more than a bit surprised at the price run-up in most markets Tuesday in two-day deals covering the Fourth of July holiday, which normally is considered one of the lowest demand periods of the year. Only Rockies/San Juan/Pacific Northwest points and a few Northeast citygates softened, in contrast with numbers elsewhere that ranged from flat to about 15 cents higher outside California and gains at California points that exceeded half a dollar.

Customer choice and so-called direct access retail power deals between end-use customers and supplier/marketers may be an ultimate casualty of California’s year-old energy wars. State energy regulators indicated last week they are divided over the issue along political lines.

Customer choice and so-called direct access retail power deals between end-use customers and supplier/marketers may be an ultimate casualty of California’s year-old energy wars. State energy regulators indicated last week they are divided over the issue along political lines.