Decreasing

Oil and gas patch output is typically measured in barrels or cubic feet, but gross domestic product (GDP) is another yardstick by which to chart growth, and that’s particularly true in North Dakota, home to the Bakken Shale, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said Friday.

Houston-based Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. grew its natural gas production by 31% and its liquids production 61% during the third quarter compared to year-ago levels, the company said. It credited much of the growth to the Marcellus Shale, where infrastructure constraints that delayed some wells during the second quarter have been overcome.

Citing “dramatically decreasing temperatures,” Northern Natural Gas declared a System Overrun Limitation for all market-area zones starting Tuesday.

Annual price volatility at the Henry Hub has been high for the past decade, but there is no consistent trend of increasing or decreasing volatility, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). However, volatility is consistently higher in the New York market than in Chicago or at the Henry Hub.

Annual price volatility at the Henry Hub has been high for the past decade, but there is no consistent trend of increasing or decreasing volatility, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA).

With natural gas futures prices plummeting over the past week, the New York Mercantile Exchange, Inc. (Nymex) said Wednesday that it was decreasing the margins for natural gas futures, Henry Hub swap futures, Henry Hub penultimate swap futures, Nymex miNYTM natural gas futures, and natural gas swing swap futures contracts at the close of business on Friday.

Marking increasing energy-related earnings and decreasing losses in telecommunications and corporate operations, Black Hills Corp. Tuesday reported higher earnings for the fourth quarter, with net income of $19.4 million, or 59 cents/share, compared with $7.9 million, or 24 cents/share, for the same period the previous year. For the full year 2004, net income was $57.7 million, or $1.76/share, compared with $61 million, or $1.97/share, for 2003.

Enron Corp., the world’s largest energy trader, and DynegyCorp., which plans to try harder to be the second or third largesttrader in the next few years, reported over-the-top earnings forthe third quarter yesterday, reaping the benefits of skyrocketingenergy prices and a continued focus on asset expansion.

Judging from a recent survey, the secondary capacity marketappears to be working efficiently and not putting a crimp on gasindustry competition. While deal activity is leveling off, themarket is still dynamic enough to accommodate new entrants,according to energy industry consulting firm Skipping Stone Inc.