Dollars

A new coalition of energy industry associations in Canada this week called on that country’s energy ministers to encourage investment in energy supply along with increasing energy efficiency to meet Canada’s future energy needs in a sustainable manner.

U.S. natural gas consumers could save as much as $16 billion (in 2001 dollars) on gas purchases over a 15-year period if a long-line pipeline from the Alaska North Slope to the Lower 48 states is constructed and placed into service by 2010.

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BHI) has $15 billion burning a hole in its pocket to invest in the energy industry and there is $100 billion of other investors’ money “waiting on the sidelines” to see if Congress passes a broad energy bill this year that repeals the Public Utility Holding Company Act (PUHCA), MidAmerican Energy’s David Sokol told a natural gas strategy conference in Denver last week.

Berkshire-Hathaway has $15 billion burning a hole in its pocket to invest in the energy industry and there is $100 billion of other investors’ money “waiting on the sidelines” to see if Congress passes a broad energy bill this year, which includes repeal of the Public Utility Holding Company Act (PUHCA), MidAmerican’s David Sokol told a natural gas strategy conference in Denver this week.

FERC made no decision Wednesday on whether billions of dollars in long-term western wholesale power contracts negotiated in 2000 and early 2001 should be scrapped or altered because of market manipulation in the short-term or spot market. The Commission vaguely indicated that the contracts should be sent back to a settlement judge.

California could save billions of dollars and reduce the number of new power plants needed in the state by investing more heavily in energy efficiency, according to a new report released last week by Xenergy. The study found California can save up to 3,500 MW of peak demand and net over $8 billion in savings over the next decade by restoring public efficiency funding to just above 1994 levels (adjusted for inflation).

Although it remains optimistic about being able to delay having to post billions of dollars worth of collateral triggered by a series of recent ratings downgrades, NRG Energy last week wasn’t able to rule out the possibility of having to file for bankruptcy if it falls short in its ongoing efforts to obtain waivers or modifications of the massive collateral requirements facing the Xcel Energy subsidiary.

Properties in the gas pipeline and storage segment, among the billions of dollars of assets flooding the market from companies looking to raise cash quickly, offer the most value at the fairest prices, according to Entergy Corp. officials who are studying the possibilities.

Properties in the gas pipeline and storage segment, among the billions of dollars of assets flooding the market from companies looking to raise cash quickly, offer the most value at the fairest prices, according to Entergy Corp. officials who are studying the possibilities hard.