Distributors

A group of natural gas producers, municipal gas distributors and industrial customers have called on FERC to revise its final rule reforming the agency’s storage pricing policies to include more protections for customers. Separately the American Gas Association (AGA), which represents local distribution companies (LDCs), asked the agency to consider a less liberal storage policy in the rule.

An alliance of five CEOs from major natural gas production companies, industrial gas consumers and gas distributors urged the American public, U.S. Congress and the Bush administration Tuesday to open up more public land in the United States to natural gas drilling and reduce the backlog of gas drilling permit applications at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

While the major gas distributors in the state of New York are close to meeting their Nov. 1 storage inventory targets despite hurricane curtailments, the New York State Public Service Commission (NY PSC) said last Thursday it was concerned about the preparedness and reliability of one smaller investor-owned utility, Corning Natural Gas Corp. The commission took the “extraordinary actions” of calling on other gas companies in the state to provide supply to Corning on a mutual-aid assistance basis, and ordered Corning to show cause why a temporary operator should not be appointed to manage the utility.

While the major gas distributors in the state of New York are close to meeting their Nov. 1 storage inventory targets despite hurricane curtailments, the New York State Public Service Commission (NY PSC) Thursday said it was concerned about the preparedness and reliability of one smaller investor-owned utility, Corning Natural Gas Corp. The commission took the “extraordinary actions” of calling on other gas companies in the state to provide supply to Corning on a mutual-aid assistance basis, and ordered Corning to show cause why a temporary operator should not be appointed for the utility.

The city of Detroit is seeking bids for delivery of 6 Bcf of natural gas on an annual basis to the citygate of MichCon Gas Co., one of the nation’s largest distributors and subsidiary of DTE Energy Co.

The city of Detroit is seeking bids for delivery of 6 Bcf of natural gas on an annual basis to the citygate of MichCon Gas Co., one of the nation’s largest distributors and subsidiary of DTE Energy Co.

Both of California’s giant distributors issued OFOs against high linepack for Saturday. Southern California Gas set a tolerance of 10% for positive daily imbalances. Pacific Gas & Electric followed up Friday’s customer-specific OFO with a systemwide Stage 3 order that allowed zero tolerance and carried penalties of $5/Dth for deliveries in excess of what was nominated.

California’s two giant distributors continued to alternate OFOs. Southern California Gas did not extend a high-linepack OFO beyond Friday, but Pacific Gas & Electric issued a systemwide Stage 2 high-inventory OFO for Saturday. Penalties of $1/Dth would apply for exceeding zero tolerance for positive daily imbalances.

Based on a survey of 850 local gas distributors, industrial companies, power companies, producers and other marketers, Oneok, ConocoPhillips, BP, Sempra and Coral Energy were the top five companies in Mastio & Co.’s customer satisfaction ranking of major gas marketers, but the smaller regional marketers played a much more prominent role last year than in previous years, the St. Joseph, MO-based research firm said.