Faces

Not without challenges regarding increased inter-regional supply competition, price and peak demand capacity, natural gas in the Pacific Northwest faces the next five years in “good health,” with annual demand growth expected at 1.9%.

As it remains ambivalent about importing new liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies, California faces increased competition from other parts of the nation in obtaining adequate future gas supplies and it can expect the prices to be higher in years to come. That is one of the key conclusions in the latest draft of the California Energy Commission’s (CEC) 2007 Integrated Energy Policy Report (IEPR), which was recently released for public review.

As it remains ambivalent about importing new liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies, California faces increased competition from other parts of the nation in obtaining adequate future gas supplies and it can expect the prices to be higher in years to come. That is one of the key conclusions in the latest draft of the California Energy Commission’s (CEC) 2007 Integrated Energy Policy Report (IEPR), which was recently released for public review.

Oscar S. Wyatt Jr., almost as well known for his legendary oil and natural gas prowess as his cantankerous personality, faces up to 24 months in prison after he pleaded guilty last week in a New York City courtroom to paying illegal kickbacks to Saddam Hussein’s regime in exchange for oil contracts in 2001.

Portland, OR-based merchant energy developer PPM Energy is still getting used to being part of the $100 billion international empire of Spain-based Iberdrola, and now it faces a new corporate structure as the Spanish behemoth announced it plans to consolidate all of its renewable energy businesses and spin them off into a new company in an initial public offering (IPO) early next year.

Quarterly results were essentially flat when excluding nonrecurring items for Southwest Gas Corp. which faces the challenge of fine tuning its strategy for maximizing its regulatory climate and gaining rate changes. Last week the Las Vegas, NV-based company reported a loss of $337,000, or 1 cent/share, for the second quarter, compared with profits of $3.7 million, or 9 cents/share, for the same period last year.

The oil and natural gas reserves of Mexico’s Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) have been cut in half since 2002, and the state-run monopoly now faces a “critical” situation, the CEO said last week.

The oil and natural gas reserves of Mexico’s Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) have been cut in half since 2002, and the state-run monopoly now faces a “critical” situation, the CEO said Sunday.

Reform of the three-decades-old Endangered Species Act (ESA), which has proved to be a major headache for oil and natural gas producers and pipelines over the years, faces an uncertain future in a Democratic Congress, but some proponents remain upbeat.