Expanded

California consumers, regulators and utilities have expanded their complaints against sky-high power prices to include natural gas prices, leveling accusations against El Paso Natural Gas and demanding federal intervention in the 15-year old competitive natural gas market.

In the sixth asset alliance since their 50-50 venture was formed in 1997, NRG Energy Inc. and Dynegy Inc. expanded their generation portfolio in the western United States last week with the purchase of one power plant and buying most of the generating capacity of another plant from Nevada Power Co. for $634 million. Minneapolis-based NRG will be operator and Houston-based Dynegy will serve as power marketer and fuel supplier.

Canadian production is expected to fall short of filling itsexpanded export pipeline capacity by 1.5 Bcf/d in 2001 and 1 Bcf/din 2002, according to the Canadian Energy Research Institute’s(CERI) annual deliverability survey.

Canadian production is expected to fall short of filling itsexpanded export pipeline capacity by 1.5 Bcf/d in 2001 and 1 Bcf/din 2002, according to the Canadian Energy Research Institute’s(CERI) annual deliverability survey.

KeySpan expanded its presence in the Northeast last week with a$2.5 billion acquisition of Weston, MA’s Eastern Enterprises andManchester, NH’s EnergyNorth. Joined with KeySpan’s Brooklyn UnionLDC, the deal creates the largest natural gas distribution companyin the Northeast and fifth largest in the United States, with 2.4million natural gas customers.

KeySpan expanded its presence in the Northeast this week, with a$2.5 billion acquisition of Weston, MA’s Eastern Enterprises andManchester, NH’s EnergyNorth. The deal creates the largest naturalgas distribution company in the Northeast and fifth largest in theUnited States, with 2.4 million natural gas customers.

Regardless of who wins this week’s presidential election, SanDiego-based Sempra Energy advocates an expanded national energypolicy and development of sufficient pipeline upgrades to ensurethat the nation’s gas infrastructure can support all of the newnatural gas-fired electric generating plants that are underconstruction or in development throughout the nation.

Pacific Gas & Electric expanded Friday’s customer-specific OFO(see Daily GPI, Oct. 20) into asystemwide Stage 2 high-inventory OFO Saturday with $1/Dth penaltiesfor positive daily imbalances exceeding a 5% tolerance.

Even in the wake of the summer’s power crisis and emergencymeasures, San Diego Gas and Electric can’t find any long-term powerpurchase deals to its liking, and, in fact, it has pulled back arequest-for-proposal it had outstanding, soliciting longer-term,fixed price contracts.