Energy

Lomak Petroleum and Domain Energy completed their merger andformation of a new company called Range Resources, which will havea 1 Tcf reserve base and $1 billion in total assets. The reservesare 72% natural gas with daily production at 9,248 b/d of oil andliquids and 161 MMcf/d of gas.

Duke Energy Power Services and the Utility Commission of theCity of New Smyrna Beach in Florida filed plans with the FloridaPublic Service Commission (FPSC) to build and operate a 500 MWgas-fired merchant power plant in the city. In attempting to buildthe first merchant power plant in the state, Duke will be runningthe gauntlet of opposition from entrenched utilities.

KN Energy will not be building its Front Runner Pipeline projectthis year as originally planned but may begin construction by nextsummer in time for service in November 1999, a company spokesmansaid yesterday. KN originally intended to have the project inservice for the upcoming heating season. Despite receiving anoptional certificate on the project from FERC in July, the companystill has not lined up the required customer commitments to moveforward.

Senate Energy Committee Chairman Frank Murkowski (R-AK) lastweek said he will hold a hearing into the price spikes in theMidwest electricity market after the Senate returns from its recessin September.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued an order lateFriday authorizing the California ISO on an interim basis to”reject bids in excess of whatever price levels it believes areappropriate for Regulation, Spinning Reserve, Non-Spinning Reserveand Replacement Reserve. The price levels could be based on costs,market or any factor the ISO determines will attract sufficientbids into the markets.”

Weak gas processing margins prompted Mitchell Energy &Development to cut its natural gas liquids (NGL) production by morethan 20% – roughly 10,000 barrels/d. “With the collapse in thecrude oil market, gas processing margins are pretty ugly rightnow,” said George P. Mitchell, CEO. “NGLs have tracked the slide incrude prices due to weak demand and higher imports. Strong gasprices are adding to the squeeze in processing margins since makingup the volume shrinkage that occurs when we extract the liquids isa cost. With NGL inventories in the U.S. running at 10-year highs,we decided to cut back where it makes economic sense.

A week after rival QuickTrade launched its new electronic powertrading system, Altra Energy Technologies followed suit withStreamlineT for Power, a real-time trading system for wholesaleelectricity. The two systems arrived on the market during atumultuous period, in which skyrocketing power prices forcedseveral marketers to default and many others to suffer bigfinancial losses. Altra said its system should provide users acertain amount of protection in the unpredictable and oftenvolatile power market.

NorAm Interstate Pipelines bought the intrastate Illini Pipelinefrom Houston-based Nuevo Energy Co. Illini Pipeline operates insouth central Illinois, serving customers in the East St. Louismetropolitan area. The line is about 70 miles long and has capacityup to 45,000 MMBtu/d. NorAm will continue to operate Illini as anintrastate system and expects to take over operation of the Illinisystem this summer.

Swift Energy Co. has agreed with Sonat Exploration Co., asubsidiary of Sonat Inc., to purchase for $87.6 million producingoil and gas properties that will increase its reserves by about25%. The deal signifies a redirection of Swift spending plans awayfrom drilling and to acquisition in light of depressed oil prices.