Elevated

Few opportunities opened this year for exploration and production (E&P) companies to hedge their natural gas production and now are entering 2011 with an elevated exposure to gas prices, Raymond James & Associates Inc. analysts said last week.

Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman Tuesday checked himself into Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston after experiencing an elevated heart rate. He is “resting comfortably” and will remain in the hospital for a few days to undergo a series of routine tests, according to a department spokeswoman. Bodman is 69.

Natural gas futures on Thursday continued to trade at the elevated price levels last seen post-Hurricane Katrina as traders and market-watchers debated whether fundamentals, the influx of monies into commodities or sympathy with record crude prices, is to blame. April natural gas put in a new high for the move up at $9.815 before settling at $9.742, nearly unchanged from Wednesday’s finish.

Stronger than expected U.S. onshore production growth, elevated Canadian imports and high storage levels led another energy analyst to cut natural gas prices for the second half of 2007 — this time by $1/MMBtu.

Stronger than expected U.S. onshore production growth, elevated Canadian imports and high storage levels led another energy analyst to cut natural gas prices for the second half of 2007 — this time by $1/MMBtu.

In an effort to bolster and better protect the nation’s utility infrastructure, the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) at its annual convention Monday elevated its ad hoc committee on Critical Infrastructure to permanent status.

Questar said it will be restricting nominations at 11 receipt points on Tuesday because of elevated hydrocarbon dewpoint levels on its Southern System near Greasewood. Questar said would restrict points that have a hydrocarbon dewpoint above 80 degrees and expects the restrictions to continue through the winter months.Pacific Gas and Electric on Monday lifted the systemwide operational flow order that had been in place over the weekend because of high system inventories.El Paso Natural Gas said work on the Gallup compressor station, which has cut about 110 MMcf/d of capacity, should be completed by Wednesday’s gas day.

The debate over how to stabilize natural gas prices “needs to be elevated, not isolated,” because concern about higher prices is coming not only from industrial customers but also commercial and residential consumers and eventually could grow into a groundswell of discontent, the chairman of the Process Gas Consumers Group said Thursday.

The debate over how to stabilize natural gas prices “needs to be elevated, not isolated,” because concern about higher prices is coming not only from industrial customers but also commercial and residential consumers and eventually could grow into a groundswell of discontent, the chairman of the Process Gas Consumers Group said Thursday.